


You're Going To Be Alright

by ThemSoundwaves



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU'S Refer To Each Other As Brothers., AU's Arrive Through Means Other Then The Machine., AU's Will Be Added As The Story Progresses., Also... POLLS!, Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), And... A Plethora Of Original Characters., Borderline Personality Disorder, Comedy/Humor., Experimentation., FREQUENT P.O.V CHANGES., FUTURE HAREM FIC., Fluff And Angst., Isolation., Making This Up As I Go Along., Mental Instability, Monsters Have Been Free For 40 Years., Mystery, Peter Pan Syndrome., Plot., Reader Has A Nickname., Reader Has A Personality., Reader Has Been In Isolation Since Before The Human Monster War, Reader Has Some Issues., Reader Is A Skeleton., Reader Is Female., Relearning How To Live., Skeletons Have More Animated Features Here., Slow-Burn Romance., Takes Place In 204X., World Building., hurt/comfort., recovery fic, self harm.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2020-12-28 02:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21129365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThemSoundwaves/pseuds/ThemSoundwaves
Summary: All your thoughts had run dry. You had nothing to think about anymore.~One day it will open.One day it will open~What color are trees? Colors, How many are there?You've been here for so long. So very, very long.Longer still.Standing.Watching the white door hoping one day it will open.Out of all the skeletal monsters in your village, why did the humans take you? Out of everyone, hundreds... Thousands! Why. You?You weren't special.~One day it will open.One day it will open.~You didn't want to be.What color are trees?Standing~For hours, watching the white door hoping one day it will open and you could leave this place... Could you leave this place?One day it will open...One day it will open..One day it will open.One day it will open.One day~~It opened.Colors.





	1. Colors.

**Author's Note:**

> **CHANGE LOG.**  
-  
_12/11/2019 \- Added: Time to P.O.V changes _  
_12/11/2019 \- Removed: 'Full' Summary _  
_12/18/2019 \- Changed weather/environment [Minor] _  
_01/02/2020 \- Changed PID and ID numbers. [Minor] _  
_**01/03/2020 \- Updated the stories summary. [Major] **_  
_01/23/2020 \- added and Organized work tags. [Minor]_  
_**08/11/2020 \- Edits On Chapter One. [Major]**_  
**Check back here for further changes made! **

* * *

**UNDYNE.**

**7:24 PM.**

**December 5th, 204X.**

* * *

Frozen rain beat heavily down on the windshield of an armored jeep, while the vehicle trudged through the unmarked terrain. It was followed closely by a swarm of clones. It was early December, but the temperatures in Ebott were too high to support snowfall, but not high enough to stop the roads from forming black ice

High powered headlights flashed through the trees beaming patterns across the forest landscape, projecting an urgency in the otherwise still forest. It had taken several months to find this place, and even longer to discover the illegal activities being done here. At first, it had been a myth Dr. Alphys looked into in her spare time. A hobby, until she went missing.

Retrieving her and all the information she held was of the utmost importance. 

The government hadn't taken her research seriously until she was no longer there to provide it to them. It was difficult to sort through the doctors' chicken-scratch notes and even harder to put sense to it all. 

Twenty years ago, The Royal Guardsmen had been promoted from neighborhood watch to Ebott cities first Monster Swat team, after Undyne and Papyrus aided a team during a dangerous human trafficking raid, when SWAT had lost too many assets due to a gunfight.

Had the two Royal Guards not been in the area that night, had they not snapped to their assistance like they did, the casualties would've been two pages long. Those whom they fought alongside, were eternally grateful, and their actions caught the eyes of the humans who commenced the mission.

That faithful night led them here, surging through the forest at breakneck speeds, towards a dangerous place, with an even more alarming stigma. 

A voice hissed through the vehicle’s radio, bleeding through the tense silence.

“Approaching the lab, Headlights off.” The voice was recognized as their commander.

Undyne flicked off her headlights and slowed her pace to a stop; they were still in the thickness of the forest, the rain made viewing the large lab almost impossible, almost. It was enormous, intimidating, leering over the tree’s tops, demanding submission. Fog coiled around it like a clingy snake; everything about this building felt wrong. 

“Park, Gear up, team up.” The man on the radio said. 

Undying put the vehicle in park, behind her, her team of royal guards snapped into action, clicking on their protective gear. For this group of monsters, the silence was unnatural. 

“Are You Alright Undyne?” Papyrus spoke, shifting himself so he could lean towards the driver’s seat. Undyne flashed a fake toothy smile while she zipped up her bulletproof vest like she had done a million times since joining the humans’ Swat team. Unlike all those times, this time, She was frightened, not for her own life, but for her girlfriend's. This time, it was different.

“Yeah, Paps.” The hushed, sullen tone did not reassure the skeleton monster. Blueberry, who sat in the passenger seat, lifted his stun gun and pressed an opposite hand to her shoulder. 

“We’ll Get Her Back, ‘Dyne.” 

“I know.” The armored vehicle's doors slid open, and they all clamored out, assembling with the mass of humans wearing similar gear. The Monsters broke off, One monster for each team to offer their magic as protection. Thus they had been appointed during the meeting held beforehand.

“The layouts impeccable; this will be difficult. Remember your plans.” The commander began. “Group one and three, with me at the front. Team two, Blueberry, your team will infiltrate through the back. Get into the security bay, take it over. We’ll need it. Group four, L.D. Make sure you cover Blues group. Group six, we need that blackout pronto. Get a headstart.” The humans in group six rushed off towards the building, hauling gear that would cause a brief power failure. The commander watched them slink through the large parking lot towards their destination.

Undyne stared blankly ahead, the rain soaking her cherry-red hair, making her scales cold, she could not feel the chilly bite of the wind, her mind was elsewhere. She wondered how a place so massive and professional could stay hidden for so long. Alphys had spoken about this place plenty of times to Undyne, words that sounded like stories about an enormous laboratory built in the 1700s, armored with technology far beyond their time. The others dismissed her project, dubbing it nothing more than folklore. Undyne, loving her soulmate passionately, always listened to the evidence and research that no one else would: She hated to admit, but Undyne hadn't believed her then, either.

If she had, would Undyne had been able to offer better protection? They all would have. Alphys painted a target on her back, digging into something powerful. They'd taken her for it~

"Status, Undyne." Her commander's voice snapped her from her stupor, Undyne blinked, unsure if the liquid trailing down her face had been her tears or from the rain. The human stood before her. When had he gotten there?

"Functional." She reported, barely missing a beat. He lifted up his mask and squinted his brown eyes at her.

"I have already informed you that you do not need to be on this mission, captain." Despite no longer being a royal guard, Undyne was grateful that her commander still referred to her as such.

"We all know how personal this is. And most of us feel that we are to blame for it~"

"It's alright, Commander," Undyne said, her tone harsher then she meant it to me. "I know Al better than anyone. If she's here, I need to be the one to get her out. She won't trust anyone else to it." a tiny, but fake grin broke out across her face, her yellow eyes flickered, a trick of the light? "Besides." She reached up and wrung out her wet hair. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Her commander returned her smile and pulled that mask back over his bearded face. He'd trust her word, and Undyne was thankful that he was kind enough to do so. The commander spun on his heel and raised a hand to the currently paused raiders. With a single hand gesture, he flicked his wrist.

“Move out!” 

Undyne gestured to her own group as they departed.

Papyrus, head of group three. Stuck close to the commander as they snuck through the parking lot to the front door.

“Team six. Power failure in three. Two…”

The area went dark. Papyrus summoned his magic and pierced a bone through the doors lock with a bang, the power returned. The groups rushed foreword into the front lobby. Immediately there was shouting.

“HANDS UP! GET ON THE GROUND!” Several swat members yelled, pointing their guns at the workers who panicked. Some did as told; others ran. Within seconds an alarm began to blare. 

“Set to stun! No casualties.” the commander demanded through the radio. 

* * *

**7:31 PM**

* * *

The humans followed Undyne when locks to the side door failed and provided them entry. The humans pointed their stun guns and shouted, the familiar words they did. Undyne, by now, would have been alight with excitement, screaming and cackling, taking down as many as she could, but now? There was only one thing on her mind. 

Finding her soulmate.

She allowed her soul to guide her down the long hallways, she barely stopped, letting panicked scientists and workers scramble past her in fright. Her team had branched off, tasked with the job of stunning as many as they could to give Blueberry time to infiltrate the building's mainframe. 

Her soul pulled her down three hallways, through turns. She kicked down two doors and punched her way through another, rage evident in the way her body imperceptibly shook.

She was close. 

One final turn and she faced the cell that held her beloved. A worker was panicking against it, punching in numbers no doubt trying to get Alphys out before the Swat arrived. 

Too late.

"NYGGGAAAAH!" With a painful crack, Undyne bashed her stun gun against the worker's head; she finished him off by grabbing a fist full of his scruffy hair and slamming his face into the door. Blood splattered against it, and he crumpled against the door. She kicked him away, ignoring the pained moan he gave at the harsh treatment; anyone who worked here deserved it. Scum, all of them!

"Alphys?" Undyne called through the door; there was a small window, just big enough for her to peek through. 

On the other side, Alphys jumped up from her poorly constructed cot and threw herself at the door in her excitement upon hearing that voice.

"U-Undyne! Is th-that you?" 

"It's me baby girl I'm gonna get you out!" Undyne replied, beating her fists against the keypad; her efforts proved useless. "GAH! Open, DAMNIT!" One more punch, with no success, she was quick to turn on her radio. 

"Undyne to Tech. PLEASE tell me you got the codes!" It was Blueberry's voice that filtered through.

"Tech Here, We've Got The Codes." He blurted out a series of numbers, to which Undyne speedily stabbed in, the door beeped then swung open, Undyne barely had time to slide out of its way before Alphys was upon her, clinging to her midsection, scratching at her scales desperately with her claws. She was speaking, rambling, spewing out words between her cries that Undyne couldn't understand. 

She scooped up her girlfriend and cradled her to her chest, so tightly that it could have broken bones. Alphys did not protest, but only held tighter.

"What did they do to you?" Undyne demanded, collapsing onto her knees, weak from emotions, tears budded under her eye as she took in Alphys's scent, took in her everything. 

"Just t-t-t-ta-ake me h-hom-m-me." The little dinosaur pleaded. Undyne needed nothing else; she lifted her lover, and carried her out, protecting her with every scale on her body.

* * *

**PAPYRUS.**

**10:36 PM.**

* * *

It took two hours for the building to be secured. The place was massive, hiding several layers and more buried secrets. Most of the workers were collected and handcuffed; backup arrived to transport, three hours later, the parking lot was full of flashing lights and ambulances. Papyrus led a team of rescuers through the building, opening up every cell they came across, freeing both humans and monsters alike from their prisons. Just when they thought they had the place fully evacuated, Papyrus came across a single hallway on the bottommost floor. 

A hallway with a single door at its end. The door was worn, white, and rusted, and it smelt like marrow, which caused the royal guard confusion. 

“Papyrus Reporting One Last Cell. Floor 6, Preparing Extraction.” he approached the door, which held no windows, the smell was stronger. If he hadn’t been used to such a scent, he might have thrown up, it was potent and rotten, like a fruit having sat in a bowl to decompose. Approaching the door, he tried tapping in the codes the tech team had found. It proved useless, beeping angrily at him. 

“Papyrus To Tech.” He began through his headset.

“Tech Here.” Was the curt response from Blue. The tone of his voice suggested he was greatly disturbed by whatever he'd been looking through.

“Door Number 2301. PID 6263.25:113. ID A-1z The Code Is Not Working. Can You Manually Open It From There?” 

“One Moment.” He heard the whirl of a nearby camera and looked up, said camera panned and locked on the door a few moments later, there was a click, the keypad flashed green. The door opened. 

There you stood, wearing nothing, bare-bones covered in small cuts, your sockets bigger then any he’d ever seen, with tiny yellow line-shaped pupils quivering in your sockets darkness. Parts of your bones were solid black, one arm, an opposite leg. You had long horns that curved back, and bone wings plastered against your spine. Unlike most of the citizens he’d rescued today, you didn’t rush towards the door immediately, and you didn’t glance at his SWAT attire and cry out in relief. You stared, no emotion what so ever on your face. You looked young, You were shorter than him, standing up to his chest, about the same height as Sans. You were a skeleton, one he'd never seen. 

The walls were covered in marrow, drawings so mutated it freaked Papyrus out, were they supposed to be trees? Or Slenderman from that game Sans used to play? He could tell the walls used to be brick, grey bricks, but now, they were nothing but rusted brown and discolored red. 

Papyrus’s face heated at your nakedness, he immediately reached for a heated blanket strewn over his shoulder and approached you. 

“Its Okay Little Skeleton. I’m Here To Help You.”

* * *

**YOU.**

**???**

* * *

Words. He said words, some you failed to understand. Little skeleton. Here. Help. 

You felt nothing, like always, but the door was open, and a skeleton clad in armor knelt in front of you, voice soft and welcoming. He wore colors you’d forgotten existed. His bones were pure white, no ink to be found. 

Words, more words. 

The door was open. 

The door was open. 

You should run. 

Because the door was open.

You should run.

So you ran.

Past the skeleton, into the hallway. Through the door. Your bare feet clacked against the marble floors, louder then you’d ever thought possible. 

More armor, the same armor. Humans in armor, they reached for you, shouted at you.

Scared. 

You should run. 

Run where? To where?

Where were you? Where is safe? 

What color are trees? 

So many walking bodies, Monsters? Misshaped humans, of different colors, crying, cowering, covered in colored blankets, huddled on the floor, what color is that? It’s pretty? 

No distractions. Run. 

Run.

Run.

Run.

You couldn’t run anymore. There was a wall blocking you. No more doors. Turn around? You turned around. 

He was there. The Skeleton. The one made of white bones, like you without the black. He blocked your path, speaking words.

Words. Words you didn’t understand. 

Where are you?

Where is it safe? 

Garbled noises, you made panicked sounds. Your sockets burned, your soul throbbed. Your throat felt strange being used after so long, your body ached. You weren't just standing anymore; you were moving.

And now, you were trapped. 

He knelt again, laying the blanket over his knee. You watched him, panicking inwardly, every atom of your body buzzed around; you couldn't stand still, you couldn't stand still. You had to go.

You had to go.

Go

Go

Go

Go.

Then, he started humming. 

You froze. 

A sound. A beautiful sound, what a lovely sound. He inched closer; you were Ice, frozen to the floor, unable to move from your spot. He kept getting closer, that hum calmed you down, it stopped the atoms from buzzing, it cleared the fog in your head. What kind of noise is that? You briefly remembered a time when your mother had made a similar noise. It was gone before you could focus on it.

"You're Alright." He whispered once he was directly before you. He pulled out the blanket and draped it around your shoulders. 

Warm. Very warm. When was the last time you’d felt something so good? 

"You're Going To Be Alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Special Thank you to Anon for helping me spot mistakes!**


	2. Trees Are Green

* * *

**PAPYRUS.**

**10:40 PM.**

**December 5th, 204X**

* * *

Papyrus watched your body limp the moment his heated blanket-covered you. Relief flooded across your flexible features, and you sunk to the floor, curling the blanket around and over yourself. Until no bone of your body stuck out from beneath it. This kind of sight was what drove Papyrus to join the Royal Guard all those years ago. The stars knew he didn't want to disturb you like this. You were the picture of peace, but... You couldn't stay here, and he needed to report back. He allowed you to remain like that for a few moments to contact Blueberry.

"Papyrus to Tech, Blue, Are You Still There?" He tried, sitting back on the soles of his boots in a squat. 

"Blue Here. ThIS PLACE SUCKS!" Papyrus chuckled, he knew at the end of the workday Blueberry would always bounce back to himself. He was diverting back into his natural voice. Most of his team must have left or, at least, the ones who were bothered by his loudness. Papyrus itched to stop suppressing his voice, and, although he may have been coworker free at the moment, He, well. He didn't want to startle you.

"It Does. But I Need You To Make Sure You Collect Any Files On The Skeleton In The Last Room And Send It To Da, Gaster~"

"IT WAS A SKELETON?" Papyrus heard a yap of disapproval through the headset. "Sorry. It Was A Skeleton?" He repeated, softer, but no less brimming with interest. A moment later. "Is It like Us?" 

"Yes, ALSO! No. They're Different. Make Sure It Gets To Him, I'm Sure He'll Be Happy To See Another Skeleton Monster." The line went lifeless after that; Papyrus knew Blue must have thrown himself into those files, eagerly absorbing the information. Papyrus was sure he'd be hearing plenty about it when they returned home, instead of worrying about his newest brother's accuracy, he pushed his focus into the now sleeping, winged skeleton before him. 

"I'm Going To Pick You Up Now." He alerted you before he scooped you up in his arms. Slowly, making sure not to nudge you out of whatever rested state you were currently in. Your body melted against his chest, curling around his SWAT suit, oblivious to the world. He had no idea what you may have gone through, but he knew one thing. You needed rest, and that he could give you.

* * *

**STRETCH.**

**10:55 PM**

* * *

_"Hello, America! Thank you for tuning in so late tonight! I am your host, Janea Shafford, from TBNC. Here to bring you one of the most heartbreaking stories of the decade, straight from the scene." The camera panned out, giving the viewers an excellent sight of a rescue center behind the blonde reporter. There was quite a crowd of humans and monsters alike. Some sat against the building, wrapped in shock blankets, resting. Others were pacing the area, no doubt looking through the faces for someone they knew. _

_"Three hours ago." the reporter continued, the cameraman began scanning the faces, showing the viewers some of the civilians. "Our Ebot city SWAT team raided one of the biggest experimental facilities to date. We are being told that over a hundred humans have been rescued, and around fifty Monsters. All of whom have been, and are in, the process of being transported to this rescue center to be reunited with their loved ones." _

_"We will now go to Officer Blueberry for some information. Officer, What was it like on the inside?"_

Stretches sockets narrowed at the screen. He sat back against the couch and glanced warily to Sans, who laid horizontal on a recliner, legs hanging off the armrest.

_"IT WAS NOT A HAPPY PLACE." Blueberry began, taking the offered microphone. "WE COUNTED TWO THOUSAND CELLS IN TOTAL ON ALL FLOORS. WE ARE STILL SORTING THROUGH THE RESEARCH AND FILES WE HAVE DISCOVERED, WHICH MAY TAKE SOME TIME. EVIDENCE PROVIDES THIS PLACE, ALSO KNOWN AS, IACO, HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE LATE SEVENTEEN HUNDREDS."_

_The camera moved back to the woman, who had a new microphone in her hand while Blueberry held the other._

_"So far, only fifteen humans and four monsters out of this group have been identified. If a friend or loved one you know has gone missing and you suspect they might be here, Please come down to the center with any information you can provide on that individual so we can begin the process of returning these poor souls to their families. This has been TBNC news, Jenne Shafford, on to you, Danny."_

Stretch set the television on mute. His new brother, Sans, barely moved from Stretchs' first glance.

"thought paps was gonna be the one presenting," Stretch muttered, straight to the curious point. Sans clicked his ecto-tongue and rolled himself _painstakingly_ into a normal seated position. He dug in his pocket for his phone, ready to call his brother.

They both knew Papyrus would rather eat his own scarf then skip a chance to be on the news, either he was swamped, or something terrible had happened.

"they woulda' said if any officers were injured." Stretch supplied, Sans still hit his brother's profile and called him anyway. Three rings, then voicemail.

"must be busy." Sans began, looking to Stretch with some anxiety pulling up his shoulders. "you got texts from blue er?~" the front door bashed open, so abruptly that it scared both Stretch and Sans onto their feet with magic broiling at their fingertips. When they saw who it was, though, the magic immediately dissipated.

"AFTERNOON, BROTHERS!" Papyrus declared, his voice startling the blankets in his hand- wait, what? Sans eyed the shock blanket suspiciously, noticing it wriggling in his grip. Papyrus grew visibly nervous at Sans's line of sight.

"paps...?"

"I-I KNOW, I KNOW, BROTHER!" Papyrus began, hobbling towards the couch, still fully dressed in his gear- Sans would never get over how cool his brother looked in it. Stretch agreed, Blueberry continued to do Stretch proud, each and every day he woke up to the sight of it. 

"SHE WON'T LET GO OF MY SHIRT, AND I COULDN'T LEAVE HER AT THE CENTER."  
Sans eyed his brother as he sat the blanket you were hidden under, down on the couch.

"paps... You can't just take one home..."

"BUT SANS!" Papyrus began, twirling to face his brother best he could with a little hand attached to his front. Stretch leaned over the blankets from his spot on the far end of the couch, gingerly picking at it, trying to reveal what was underneath without drawing too much attention to himself.

"I ALREADY KNOW THERE IS NO ONE ELSE TO TAKE HER! LOOK!" He twisted just enough for Sans to see your black boned fingers latched onto his SWAT armor, and his face went from cautious to soft instantly.

"...she?" He said, unused to skeletons being called she, the only ones he ever met were his brother, his father, and the alternates of themselves, it was the same for all of them here. "It's not..?"

"DEFIANTLY NOT ONE OF US," Papyrus answered.

"Little Skeleton." Papyrus cooed softly, slapping away Stretchs prying digits.

"I'm Going To Pull The Blanket Down Now, Okay?" True to his word, Papyrus pulled down the blanket enough to reveal the younger skeletons' face.

Stretch noted, at first glance, that you looked tiny curled in on yourself like that.

Then he noticed your sockets when you blinked up at the room for the first time in subdued wonder.

* * *

**YOU.**

**???**

* * *

The warm darkness was removed from your vision, presenting a world of colors and faces. Bone faces, more skeletons with pure white bones.

They all looked at you with a mixture of amazement and curiousness. Your hand was tight around the humming skeletons own, with a death grip you didn't know you had. And although this was a stranger, so new to you, you couldn't let go.

You didn't want to go back.

This place was already so much better than the other rooms you'd been moved to.

There were others here. There were never others in your new rooms.

"those'er some _massive_ sockets ya got there." One said, he was at your right, wearing a bright hoodie; a fantastic color, what color was that? It was so pretty!

You let go of Papyrus's hand and latched onto the skeletons bright orange hoodie, babbling and pulling at it.

You wanted it.

You wanted it _so_ bad.

It wasn't present to them until then that you were still naked under the blanket, the entire upper half of your body was now visible. Stretch stammered, and Sans choked.

"whoa, whoa now. C'mon." Stretch struggled to pull back away from your strong fingers; you followed him, face planting into his chest, whining words that did not exist.

"help?" Papyrus let out a hearty laugh while Sans just leaned back on the soles of his shoes, clearly content on watching Stretch's suffering.

"thinks she wants your shirt, bro," Sans added, casting that stupid sly smirk he had. Stretch looked down at you and searched your sockets. You looked back, equally enamored by the sight of another skeleton.

If it hadn't been for the short memories of your family, you would've felt no comfort from the presence of bones.

"want this?" Stretch asked, pulling at the collar of his hoodie. You tilted your head, trying to understand. English was hard for you, and you'd forgotten a bunch if not most words you once learned as a baby bone at your village. You hadn't been spoken to in... You didn't know how long.

It was hard, but the more you listened, the more you could understand.

Yes, you wanted it.

You wanted it _bad._

To empathize with this, you tugged harder on the sweatshirt. Stretch made a small noise of complaint before he pulled the clothing up over his head and let you snag it away from him, leaving him bare-boned and looking awkward.

"'s all yours." He said before getting up and promptly leaving, most likely to get himself a new shirt. You snuggled up to the orange cloth, not understanding that you were supposed to wear it, it wasn't until Papyrus knelt beside you did you know.

"Here." He offered, taking the shirt from you gently. "Lift Your Arms." He said, you blinked your sockets and lifted them, Papyrus laughed a little at that. "Nyeh, No. Like This." You copied his movement, lifting your arms over your head. Why were you listening to this skeleton?

Obeying had become second nature to you, when had that happened?

You felt a tug, and that colorful sweatshirt was pulled over your head; you panicked briefly, breath hitching when you could no longer see. Vision returned soon after, though, and the panic was gone.

You forgot how many times you'd closed your eyes in the room, hoping to open them and find yourself back home.

When you opened them now... You were here.

It was better then your imagination could fathom.

The shirt was large on you and could have been mistaken as a dress. Not that you minded, this was the first time you'd worn something over your body in what had to be years. Years? Decades... Time was something that you didn't understand in the lab.

A long time.

A _very_ long time.

It felt strange wearing something besides your torn up blanket, but it was very comfortable, and it was a great color. You lifted your head, listening to the voices of the two white skeletons while you looked over your new room. You'd been moved around from time to time before; usually, they all looked the same. You stayed in each one for a lengthy time.

Unlike those rooms, There was stuff everywhere here, and yes, that was the only word you could use for the objects, _stuff. _You couldn't put a name to a _quarter _of the items you saw lingering about. There was _so_ much! 

The ground looked soft. It had swirls of unknown colors that were pleasing to look at. The walls were mahogany: a rich dark brown-tinted red, a color you recognized all too well. You woke up every day to that color. It was the color of _you_ after it had a chance to dry.

_All your thoughts had run dry._

You blinked, entrapped by the color. It felt natural to get lost in it, with all the times you had nothing else to look at. You felt your body stiffen in _that_ way. The way you prepared yourself for those long hours of still-standing. Moving costed energy, and you never had energy. You didn't like laying down, it panicked you, so you never slept. 

You could never remember why it scared you. 

It just did.

_Standing._

_So very, very long._

_Longer still~_

_ Watching the white door hoping one day it would op~ _

You shifted and blinked, the rustle of the clothes against your bones momentarily startling you. The two skeletons were talking again. You focused on their voices.

They talked so much, was that normal?

_What color are trees? _

_Red_

_ The color of your marrow when~ _

Wait.

Your eye lights finally broke free of wallpaper, flicking to a nearby window. You knew what a window was; you had them in your house with your family before. When you gazed out the glass pane into the world beyond, you felt a surge of excitement you hadn't experienced before. You made some noise that you couldn't care to stop. This was more important, _way _more important.

_THIS ROOM HAD A WINDOW!_

* * *

**SANS.**

**11:10 PM.**

* * *

Sans watched you for a moment as you sat on the couch, looking around the room with dazed amazement. He took that moment to pull Papyrus aside, and by aside, he meant a few feet closer to the walk-in kitchen. Sans always got high strung the moment his two brothers left in the mornings' right up until they rewalked through those doors. Sans was no stranger to the risk of his brother's job. Over the twenty years Papyrus and Blueberry worked there, they had only been _reportedly _injured a total of three times, two of them being Blueberry, and one of Blueberries injuries came from an office mishap. 

Of course, the reports didn't count the cuts and scrapes they sometimes came home with. Papyrus was good at hiding his pain, too good. 

Sans unbuckled Papyrus's vest in a single practiced movement. "ya ok?" Sans began, already looking over his brother's bones with an instinctual eye light. He hadn't precisely memorized his brother's anatomy, but he knew what a new wound looked like.

"RELAX BROTHER," Papyrus said, Sans, looked up at his sibling's infectious smile. "STIGMA ASIDE, IT WAS QUITE THE EASY TASK, NO SHOTS FIRED. NO INJURIES." Papyrus prided, giving sans a loving pat on the head. Sans relaxed at that.

"WE'LL, ASIDE FROM MY SORE FEET, BUT THAT IS EASILY FIXED WITH REST, NYEH HEH HEH!" Hearing that laugh, Sans couldn't help it, his grin broadened in such a way he knew Papyrus was going to catch on. 

"is that the _sole _purpose of~"

"BROTHER, NO!" Papyrus's vest found itself draped over his head. Sans was vaguely aware of a dull whistling noise while he chuckled and leaned to the side, letting the jacket slide off.

"not today, bro?" Sans asked. 

"NOT RIGHT NOW, MAYBE AFTER A BATH," Papyrus concluded honestly, giving his brother a knowing smile. The whistling got a little louder. Was the tea ready? "I DON'T WANT YOU TO FRIGHTEN OUR NEW QUEST WITH YOUR BAD HUMOR." Sans lifted a hand dismissively. "yeah, fine bro, but I think the teas ready." he jabbed a thumb towards the kitchen, Papyrus face screwed up in confusion, eyes darting to the empty stovetop. 

"SANS... I JUST GOT HERE, I HAVENT STARTED THE KETTLE~"

_Thump._

Both brothers turned to the sudden noise in the living room. You were there, of course. Instead of on the couch, though, you were kneeling on an end table with your body practically one with the window. There it was again, that whistling, he was aware then that the noise wasn't coming from the kitchen, it was coming from _you. _

"wow," Sans said, the only word that came to his mind. He'd heard some strange languages before, some ominous noises and voices, but this? Sans didn't know what to make of _this_. Papyrus couldn't either, he just looked on fondly, only moving when you decided to push yourself away from the window. You tumbled _off _the end table, hitting the ground and bending your wings at a peculiar angle. 

"ARE YOU~?"

_"TREES aRE GREEN!?" _You loudly declared at Papyrus when he tried to help you up. You disregarded his offered hand, and Sans watched, greatly amused, as you scrambled back onto your feet. You circled the couch then went straight back to the window. Sans watched your skeletal face slacken, and you returned to that thousand-yard stare. 

It was quiet after that, Papyrus backed away from you, leaving you for the time being. Papyrus proudly walked into the kitchen, holding himself a little higher. "BLUE SHOULD BE HOME SOON, ILL MAKE DINNER. SHOW OUR GUEST AROUND, WOULD YOU, SANS?" The comedian could not say no to his brother's proper tone. Sans shrugged.

"sure, bro." Sans trusted Papyrus with his life, and there was no doubt against that. If his brother thought this was a good idea, then Sans would support him the best he could. You didn't look too hard to handle, the previous situation aside. Maybe a little... random? Spaced out? Either-Or, it didn't matter. You were a lost soul looking for life, and by the sounds of it, you deserved it more than anyone. 

Sans teleported beside you, and you only noticed him there when he reached out and tapped your shoulder. You blinked up at him, Sans stilled nervously under the gaze of those sockets. One white, one black, yin, and yang both with that cat-like yellow eye light floating in the middle. Sans held out his hand and gave you the friendliest smile he could muster. 

"names sans, sans the skeleton." You looked down at his offered hand and did nothing. Sans expected this, he took a step back and gestured towards the staircase, leading to the second floor. "look around." He urged you.

Your eyes lights darted to the area in question, and Sans could see the gears turning in your mind through your unbridled facial expressions. You slid off the end table, looked at him, looked back at the staircase, then back at him. Sans nodded, and apparently, that's all you needed. 

You took off in that direction, Sans following close behind.

* * *

** _Hello readers, I just wanted to ask if the point of view changing helps or hurts this story. Please let me know! _ **

** _Thank you for reading. _ **

** _I drew a reference of what the reader looks like. _ **

** _ _ **

_ **Visit me here, where I sometimes post art. ** _

_ ** [My Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/themsoundwaves) ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Special thanks to Anon for once again helping me spot mistakes!**


	3. The bond between Skeletons and condiments

* * *

Song referenced in this chapter. If you haven't seen it already I highly recommend you do, its a catchy song. I do not own this song. 

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRAJ5jDe_jU>

_ **Skeleton Rap- Dan Bull.** _

* * *

**YOU.**

**???**

* * *

It was a home.

You could see that now, standing at the top of the stairs looking down the hallway.

It was not just a single area.

You visibly counted the doors, there were four, and doors always led to rooms. 

Why are you here? 

There was a rustle behind you, and you turned halfway to look at the skeleton wearing blue clothes. He made the noise. Is he still here? And the other skeletons too, with the third one? Are they all here? 

Are they staying?

Where is… _ here? _

Who are these monsters?

Why are they here?

Why are you here? 

_ Why are_ trees green? 

“ya’ok there, bud?” You blinked, refocusing on the skeleton. His voice felt like a gust of hot air when you’re cold, pleasant enough to be drawn towards it, yet strong enough to keep you locked in place as if his words had been a command from a higher power.

“_Uh? _ ” You replied. “_o__k _?” 

You were okay. 

You weren’t alone anymore. You still couldn’t wrap your thoughts around the fact that there were other_ skeletons _here. 

You weren’t alone... So you were okay. 

_ Anyway. _

Doors. There were doors. 

They were… Red? Dark red? Not quite red… What color is that?

* * *

**SANS.**

**11:26 PM**

* * *

He tried not to let himself get creeped out when your eye lights fixated on him, and you lost track of what was around you. Sans could, usually, take a lot. He’d been stared at before, but this was… eerie. His soul quivered behind his ribs as your sockets lost that light, and you were back to being unaware. 

He didn’t know how to help someone like this; he’d never gone through it, and the only person he knew who had; was Gaster. Was what you were experiencing anything like his void?

Sans didn’t know where to start. 

After a for sure full minute of you getting lost in the color of his jacket, Sans shifted and cleared his throat. 

“ya’ok there, bud?” Sans expected nothing, and he was already lifting a slippered foot to show you the other rooms, but you blinked and looked into his eye lights with those sockets. It caught him off guard and froze him in place; They looked more prominent when they were fix with his. Was it some trick of the light? Or were they more extensive now? 

“_Uh? ok?” _You replied.

Well...At least you were speaking; he could work with that.

Your voice was a whisper, raspy like every syllable brought you pain and discomfort. You sounded older, no prepubescent squeaky high notes or voice cracks. You were the same height as him, yet you were proportionately slim, he had to remind himself that you were an adult. 

You focused on the door; Sans got the picture. You were ready to start. He shoved any thoughts on the matter far back in his skull as he pushed foreword and wrapped his knuckle joints against the door you were looking at.

"this is my bro's room. well, one of them." You looked up at him, placing the palm of your hand against the door in question. "uh, papyrus. we call'im paps, though. he's the one that brought you here." Sweat began to bead down his skull, tickling his sensitive bones as you study each curve of the wood like you'd never seen anything like it. 

Sans reached up and tugged at the neck of his shirt. Being in a household full of chatty skeletons may have made him a tad bit more social. He hadn't had a one-sided conversation since the last time he tried to flirt at a bar. "the uh, one with the red scarf." He muttered. "paps."

_"this Red?"_ You tapped the door with a finger, allowing Sans to see your phalanges at a closer angle. The tips looked chewed? Had you bitten them?

"uh, that's brown, actually," Sans pointed out, shifting.

_"brown."_ You said clearly, nodding to yourself. Didn't you know the colors? How isolated had you been? Despite this, Sans tapped your shoulder and pointed down the hallway. You understood and made your way to the next door, stopping in front of it just like you had before, you turned and waited for him to speak, Sans wasted no time. "thas' my room. Sans." Sans pointed to himself, realizing too late that he already introduced himself. 

_"San." _

Said skeleton chuckled. "close. 's sans. with'n s. san_ssss_." 

_"Saaan." _You mewled out, you knocked on his door with pure innocence and curiousness, coping the way he'd done it to Papyrus's. Sans couldn't help himself 

"whose there?" 

"_San?" _You replied, cocking your head to the side as you looked at him, He smirked, nodding at you. "sans who." 

_"Trees are Green." _You stated with a nod. Sans laughed at the absurdity of it. 

"yeah, i s'pose your right." He made his way to the third door.

"this one is blueberries. 'es been out but should be back soon." Sans pointed to the other side of the hallway; you trotted your way over, this time, you rubbed your cheek against the wood then got down on your extremities to try to peer through the gap. You wiggled your fingers beneath it and made a sound of disappointment; after this, you struggled to get to your feet and eventually gave up, You dropped onto your butt with a grunt. 

You looked exhausted, resembling him after a very, _very _long day, so he took mercy on you came up to you, holding out his hand to help you stand. 

Instead of taking it, you eyed it for a single moment, then leaned foreword and rested your skulls' cheek against it. 

If he wasn't sweating enough before, he was definitelydoing so now. 

Your sockets closed, you let out a soft breath. Your skull grew heavy on Sans' offered hand.it took him a solid five seconds to realize you'd fallen asleep with his phalanges cradling your face. 

Whelp.

He did not see that coming. 

...

Not one bit.

...

After a few minutes passed at a crawl Sans's legs began to protest to his stillness. He had some options here. One, he could wake you up and continue with the 'tour.' Two, he could pick you up and bring you to Papyrus's bed to sleep, Three, Sans could use his unoccupied hand to get his phone and call for help, or four, he could stand here and wait for you to wake up on you own.

As he thought, his thumb absentmindedly stroked the length of your jawline, and up your chin. As he did this, he began to notice the different textures of your bones. The right side was pitch black, with a tiny swirl of purple that reminded Sans of the void and or space, somehow both at the same time. Was it just pigment or something else? He gently probed it with a finger.

It gave under his phalanges, which was highly unusual for bones. It felt like skin, he pressed against it becoming momentarily entrapped by the clay-like feel of it, it was like a stress ball, squishy and addictive to the touch, but the white? He moved his phalanges just enough to graze the white parts of your face. It was hard, harder than his skull. It felt like iron or some metal and barely moved at his presses.

Fortunately, Prodding your skull seemed to be just what he needed to fix this problem he was having. You stirred at the feel of it, and your sockets fluttered open to look up at him. Sans quickly removed his hand, taking a few steps to the side to fix his personal bubble. You stood then, with much less effort than last time, and blinked those dazed eyes. 

"welcome back." Sans greeted, unable to hide the little amusement in his voice. 

_"Mmh." _ was your response. 

...

Alllllright. 

"so thas' stretches room." Sans blurted out, pointing down the hall to the last room in the corridor. Your sockets followed his gesture, but instead of moving to it like you had the others, you opted to stand there, body beyond relaxed, it looked as if you physically melted a few inches. 

"your gonna take paps room 'till we can clean out the attic for ya. I assume that's where my bro wants to bring ya. If your stayin'" he reached out and took one of your hands, it was the black one, and it was soft just like your face. He studied it for a moment as he made his way back to Papyrus's room, you trailing slowly behind.

Sans opened up papyrus room and let you move inside, the slits of your eye lights lit up and widened as you took in all that was papyrus; you wasted no time rushing towards the action figures. Your fingers stopped short of them, but Sans could see you happily admire them from a distance.

You scanned the room, detailing every single little thing. Oh you were a curious one; he could tell already. Though you refused to touch anything (probably in fear of being reprimanded.) You did take your time studying each surface, along with the items atop it. Your wings would fan out behind you at anything you deemed amusing, which was practically _everything._

Then he watched your skull tilt as your inquisitive gaze landed on Papyrus's racecar bed, Sans felt the room get heavy; it wasn't noticeable at first, just a small shift of emotions, but it was there, and it touched his soul physically.  
You stared at the bed...

And stared

And stared

And stared.

To the point where Sans grew uncomfortable. Did he leave you to it? Were you lost in your thoughts? Or Were you having a bad reaction? It was impossible to tell because your face was so... Emotionless, not even a twitch of your phalanges to show your feelings.

After what felt like ten minutes of silence, you forced your gaze away from the bed to Sans. You tilted your head in a questioning manner.  
_"Still here?"_ you said, your voice was becoming more pronounced the more you spoke, it still sounded like it hurt, but Sans could hear a bit of authority hidden in that mutter.

"do ya want me to leave?" Sans replied, shifting from foot to foot.

_"No? s'pose To leave?"_ You continued, Sans bone brows bent as he thought through that... Question? Now that he thought about it, most of your replies had ended in a query. He guessed it fit well with your curious personality. Sans shrugged. "s' up to you, kid."

_"M' no Kid?"_

"ok then, _adult._ ya got anythin' else I can call you. A name? What's your name?"

You opened your mouth, closed it, opened it again, but ultimately fell silent. A look of deep thought morphed your features, Sans waited patiently, at this point, he was beginning to get used to your spaciousness attitude, it wasn't as off-putting as it had been before.

"A1?" was your answer.

Sans's reply was instant and half-annoyed.

"I ain't callin' you that."

_"S' my Name?"_

"nah, sounds like a name the lab gave you. What about before that? What'd they call ya before that?" he tried, kneeling before you. You didn't flinch at his closeness, so Sans assumed it was safe to touch or be near you, you didn't outwardly display physical trauma, it left him once again questioning what you'd been through there. 

It took even longer for you to reply this time.

_"Y/N?_"

Sans blinked, trying to understand the words you just spewed. "yin?"

_"Y/N?"_

"y/n."

_"Mhm?"_

"the heck is a y/n." sans huffed out, amused. You shrugged with an impressive eye roll.

"well, lets call ya yin. ya gotta Yin-Yang thing goin' on so it fits." He gestured to your face, and you blinked at him.

_"Yin?"_

"yup."

_"Y/n?"_

"Nope. Yin."

"Yin?" Sans tried hard not to sigh from pure frustration at the repetition.

"yes. your yin now. Like it?"

_"Mhm?"_

"alright then." Sans stood to full height and stuffed a hand in his pocket. He held out the other for you to take. He almost pulled away, remembering what you'd done last time, not wanting to spend another ten minutes waiting for you to wake yourself up. This time, though, you took his hand in yours with minimal hesitation and got up from the ground and moved to stand directly at his side.

Sans sighed in relief at this. "C'mon my bros probably done with dinner. Have you met blue yet?"

_"No?"_ Your hand was stock still as you held his phalanges, barely moving, yet your grip felt perfect in his own. 

"well, let's go meet 'im."

You held his hand in an iron grip as the both of you descended the stairs, back into the kitchen. Sans braced himself for Blueberries' presence but was met with silence upon entering the dining area. There was an open wall separating the kitchen from the living room, so Sans could look in from his spot at the bottom of the stairs.

It was quiet, Papyrus was alone. Sans flexed the hands in his pocket nervously while he watched his brother. He was standing in front of the turned-off the stove. His sockets glued to the screen of his phone while he rapidly tapped the buttons. Paps seemed to sense his brothers' presence, either that or, he'd heard your whistled breathing~_why does it sound like that? it's not like you need to breathe? ~_because he turned around, stuck a hand to his chest, and practically sang~ 

"WELL, HELLO AGAIN FRIEND!" Papyrus tucked away his phone. Sans's grin parted in a smirk as he caught on. Instantly.

"are you a skeleton returning from the dead?" Papyrus faced his brother. He looked surprised to see that Sans knew the reference. Oh he did, he'd only heard it about twelve hundred times through the houses thin walls.

"YES! AND I'M DETERMINED TO BE RELEVANT AGAIN"

"so your following trends?"

Papyrus looked like he was going to proceed but stopped himself with several nyehs, apparently too happy about it to continue it.

"YOU UNDERSTOOD!" Papyrus beamed, bending over to hug Sans's tightly. 

"'course I did paps." Sans huffed out like it was the most obvious thing in the multiverse. "been hearin' ya play that song every mornin' since it came out." Sans said with a playful eye-roll. He wasn't lying, not in the least. He'd woken up nearly every morning to Papyrus singing that song. It would have been annoying if it wasn't for the pun factor. Listening to his brother say a pun even if it was just lyric, made his day. 

"IT IS A VERY GREAT SONG!~_a__lmost as great as me~_ASIDE! FROM THE INSUFFERABLE PUNS." Papyrus continued, Sans noticed you'd slowly begun to migrate behind him. Papyrus caught on and cleared his throat. He leaned foreword to be more at your eye-level and gave you a skull tilt with a genuine smile. 

"Do You Like Music? I'll Have To Show You Sometime." Then, Papyrus gave you a head pat. Sans winced. Perhaps he should warn him?

* * *

**YOU.**

**???**

* * *

Descending the stairway felt like a chore. The energy drained from your legs and your arms. It was a strained pressure tugging away the magic that helped you lift each part of your body.

You hated moving. 

You didn't feel tired, did you? But your body? It _ached. _This happened every time you moved to much. 

Why? 

You hate it. 

You hate it.

You hate it.

Reaching the last step was your greatest victory. You huffed out a breath you didn't need to hold in, Or did you? You knew skeletons didn't need to breathe, So why did you feel so much weight in your ribcage when you stopped? Your bare feet glued to the floor as soon as San paused in his movements. While they talked, you found yourself sizing the second? Skeleton up.

No, this wasn't the second. This skeleton was the first one you saw. He was the first one. Your vision locked on his red scarf, you remembered seeing that for the first time. Your red didn't look like that red. That red was catching! You watched it sway whenever the first one- pap? pap. Whenever pap moved. He moved with his words. 

_Words._

_Words you didn't understand._

_Where are you?_

_Where is it safe?_

His face was close now. He had black sockets, no dots or lines. They made you tired and happy but mostly tired. You liked this skeleton. He was very great. He said words~

_Words._

_Words you didn't-_

_Where are you?_

_Where is it~_

You were too weighed down to listen. You couldn't focus. Then he pet your head, and pleasant prickles sparkled over the spot he touched. Just like San. It was very nice; You didn't remember interactions being this great before. 

You were tired. 

Did you _need_ to stay awake?

No. No, you didn't. 

Pap felt like san. They wanted you to rest. You could sleep with them around. They were like you. They felt safe. 

Where is it safe?

_Here_.

* * *

**PAPYRUS.**

**11:43 PM**

* * *

"Do You Like Music? I'll Have To Show You Sometime." Papyrus said, reaching out to pat your head between your horns. [They were fancy!] You looked a bit lost, but! There was nothing wrong with that! You weren't uncomfortable with his head pats, as, Papyri were known to do. This fact made his smile reach new heights. You pushed your skull further into his glove!

"SANS! Look, She Likes It!" You started kneading the top of your skull into his glove; sockets closed, Papyrus moved and started scratching under your chin. Your wings sagged behind you as you nuzzled your nasal ridge deep into the fabric, burying your face as much as you could in its softness. 

"paps~ don't~" Sans tried, it was too late. You'd already drooped into a softcore facepalm and was fast asleep. 

Papyrus's brows scrunched as you weighed down his hand. He'd grown up with Sans, so he knew what 'falling asleep on the spot' looked like. His big grin flattened as he deadpanned, the look swiftly turned soft, though. Papyrus scooped you up in his arms effortlessly, saying nothing of it. "I Think She Needs To Rest Now." 

"what about dinner, thoe'? shouldn't she eat first?"

Papyrus paused. From the depths of his soul conquered images of a fresh section of red on a life blood-covered wall. The picture of you, sitting cross-legged on the floor facing this monstrosity of art, marrow all around you, yet all of your bones were spotless aside from the rugged tips of you phalanges~He~ 

He'd cleaned it up on the way here, of course, but that didn't erase its meaning.

"There's No Use Trying To Feed Her If She Keeps Falling Asleep, Sans. Besides. Check Your Phone. Blues' Staying Overnigt." Papyrus watched his brother pull out his phone. The bonehead had put his cell on silent and refused to have it otherwise. At his brother's huff of acknowledgment, he turned and made his journey up the stairs.

He would sleep in Sans's room until something could be figured out.

Besides, the brothers needed to do something about the attic anyway, mt. ebott was reaching its twenty-first year since it shattered, if the swap brothers arrival time held any meeting, the skeleton family would be getting bigger at some point this year. Underswaps barrier had broken at the eleven-year mark, converging the two universes as one. They needed to start renovating for more rooms, sooner rather than later. After all! Their newest brothers would need a place to stay while they figure themselves out! 

Papyrus tucked your sleeping form into his racecar bed and read you a story, even though you were already asleep. 

He hoped Blue could shed some light soon. Papyrus was eager to start finding ways to fix whatever that lab had broken in you. 

* * *

**BLUEBERRY.**

**12:30 AM.**

**December 6th, 204X**

* * *

Blueberry knew volunteering as on-site tech support would be a hard and long job. At the time when he offered to take the spot, Blueberry couldn't have predicted the amount of information in IACOS database. Info dating back three hundred years, half of it paper, tucked in files, half of it digital, encrypted and secured heavily. The building was shut down and blocked off while they tried to figure out what to do about the place itself.

It was around twelve-thirty at night by the time Blueberry and his team had managed to transfer half the digital data to headquarters.

Dinner would've long since gone cold by now.

He was frustrated with the piles of work he'd barely scratched the surface of, angered by what he had seen written on the pages, and saddened by the growing lists labeled 'deceased' or 'failed.' Each one held a life these humans had played with, it didn't matter what way- and believe him, there were a lot of ways seen and yet to be seen- fact of the matter was, they'd _toyed_ with them, it was like they thought it up on the spot no matter how unusual or pointless it was, and decided to test it.

By the looks of it, they just _snagged_ people. Randoms, most of the time, it didn't seem to matter what age, gender, or species. They _nabbed_ them right there on the spot and _used_ them for _unnecessary_ means — these questions... inquiries that turned into experiments. 

Can a human adapt to drinking bleach when exposed to it regularly in small increments?

Is there a way to stop a monster from dusting upon death? 

What'll happen to a monster if you stick it in a room for the rest of its life? What happens if you give it memories and erase them? 

Sometimes, Blueberry hated his job. 

To think, Blueberry spurned every second spent absorbing this data, and he'd only been in this cursed place for a few hours.

Lifetimes had were spent here, and unlike him, they couldn't have walked home and resumed their lives.

Sitting back, Blueberry lifted his phone from his lap, it already on and ready to be used, he started a message to Papyrus.

_ **To: OFFICER GREATNESS: ** _

_>I WON'T MAKE IT HOME TONIGHT THERE'S SO MUCH! _

_ >ILL LET YOU KNOW WHAT IVE LEARNED IN THE MORNING  _

_ >ALSO, SAVE SOME DINNER FOR ME! PLEASE DONT LET STRETCH EAT IT,  _ _ GOODNIGHT! _

For the first time that day, Blueberry flicked off the screen of his phone and hooked it up to the charger on the current computer before him. He might as well catch a charge while he searches for that skeleton. After this was finished, he pushed out the rather comfortable rolling chair, the sound of the rolling wheels alerted the last of his team. Three others were with him, one of them lying down on the floor sorting through stacks of paper. They looked up at him, armor long since left off to the side.

"You Should All Go Home." He dipped his head in the direction of the door. "I'll Pack It Up When I'm Done. Just Tell Security That I'm Still Here So They Dont Draw Weapons If I Come Out." Two of them went about turning off their stations and leaving, bidding him a good night. 

The one that was lying down, though, he remained. He was an older gentleman with a well-aged face, wearing a white turtle neck under his gear and had some pudge to his stomach. This wasn't the first time Blueberry went on a mission with this man; He was always the first to show up and last to leave. Blueberry sighed loudly. 

"You Too Klaus." he urged. 

Klaus looked up with an arched brow, and Blueberry swore the man could see right through his brave face. 

"I am gut, 'sanks." He hummed, going back to his papers. Blueberry pulled himself back up to the computer desk and accepted it. 

It was going to be a long night. He'd work easy knowing he'd be the only one that'd have to endure it this time. 

His eye lights darted to his late-night companion, Klaus licked the entirety of his thumb and swiped it across a page, head craned to the side with pursed lips taught deep in though. 

He'd work easier now that he, at least, didn't have to sit through it alone.

* * *

* * *

**SANS.**

**4:15 AM.**

* * *

Sans sockets snapped open, so abruptly that it left him wondering what had startled him awake. Memories of his dream fluttered through his mind causing a small but pleasing smile to crawl across his skull. His gaze drifted to Papyrus, who laid beneath a swarm of blankets, nothing visible but the tip of his rounded skull. Did his brother bump into something in his sleep? 

Whatever woke him hadn't been a nightmare. He wasn't sweating, nor did he feel panicky. He sat up slowly, exhaustion weighing him down, That ruled out waking naturally. Sans reached out and fumbled around his bed for the phone he'd haphazardly tossed on his mattress before sleeping. A quick check of the time showed it was three in the morning.

Defiantly too early to be waking himself up.

So what had...?

His answer came in the form of a sound from below, muffled by the floorboards.

_Wksssssssh. _

What...

He paused, his entire body stilling like it would amplify his hearing.

_Wksssssssshhh._

What... the actual fuck was _that?_

Sans threw off his covers, as soon as his slipper-less feet hit the cold wood he teleported into the living room.

It was dark, all lights off. Sans could see the faint glow of the kitchens nightlight. Papyrus insisted on getting one after he'd nearly flipped over the dining room table, trying to get to the light switch so he could start breakfast when it was still dark out.

He snickered at the memory of his brothers flustered, blushing face as he explained 'why' he needed to have it.  
His snicker was drowned out by-

_WWKSSSSSSHHHH._

Sans eye light burst forth in a blue glow as he leaned, peering past the open wall blocking his view into the kitchen.

Two horns poked up from beyond the dining room table.

The glow faded when he realized it was just you.

As he came closer, it became increasingly harder not to laugh at the scene he was inching towards.

You were sitting on the floor, half under the table, shaking a white bottle furiously with a hand. You brought it up to your mouth and~

_WKSSSSSHHHH._

~Whipped cream sprayed out from the bottle into your mouth, your teeth locked around the nozzle as you guzzled down as much as you could.

When it ran out, you stopped, shook the can again, and repeated the process. Your sockets were half-lidded, back facing the wide-open fridge, the hooked tip of your white wing was latched onto one of the shelves, keeping it open and bathing you in its dull yellow glow.

You looked so pleased with the Whipped Cream.

So pleased that you didn't notice Sans standing off to your side, in plain view, just watching you. Sans the skeleton knew the look you were giving very well. He'd made it the first time Gaster made him try ketchup. He was watching a bond, coming to being right before his eye lights, and it was beautiful. As inaudibly as he could, Sans tipped himself backwards~

Teleported

~and landed on his bed. 

Maybe condiments weren't just a _Sans_ thing. 

He couldn't wait for Papyrus to learn his little pet peeve could be genetic to the skeleton species.

* * *

**See you all next post! :] **

_ **Visit me here, where I sometimes post art.** _

_ ** [My Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/themsoundwaves) ** _


	4. Kitchen Floor Party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added a change log to chapter 1! check back there whenever to see any changes made to the fic! 
> 
> Aaand thank you so much! 112 kudos, 42 bookmarks.... 38 subs! for 3 chapters? that's some amazing feat for me! [im not counting the comments, because I DO reply to most of them.] 
> 
> Heres the next chapter :]

* * *

**Who?**

**When?**

* * *

He hadn’t seen_ when_ this day would come, but… 

He knew it _would_.

To work on something so sensitive, and not have an escape plan, well… That’s a rookies mistake. 

It’s a good thing he was no rookie. 

It was also a good thing that he made very little mistakes. 

The dark chambers were set alight by the roar of an indigo flame, poised perfectly on his fingertip. With the flick of his finger, the flare was sent darting through the air, it landed at the very top corner of his room. Ever the obedient flicker, the deep, royal color burned and spread the length of the ceiling trim in seconds. Yet, it grew no further and dimmed to a comfortable glow.

He sat there for a while like that, scrolling through the newsfeed on his phone. It must’ve been hours, and he had yet to move.

He should feel… rage. 

He should feel… frightened.

He should feel… defeated.

The indigo glow danced across his blackened hair, over his dark, remarkably well-treated skin. He sat at his kitchen table, body bent over his phone. 

Centuries worth of work, taken, his entire livelihood, ripped right out of his hands. 

He should be beyond furious. 

He scrolled through social media, pupils rapidly analyzing every. Single. Post. About _ his _ lab. 

He should feel shame.

He should feel guilt.

He should feel like the repulsive human being that he was, but…

He didn’t. 

He was, however, Annoyed.

Annoyed with how long it took them to get to that point. 

He wondered how slowly they’d progress now. Did they think that would be the end of it? Did they even know who _ he _was? Would they give chase? Or would he be left to his own devices like every time he returned without a trace?

The indigo fire adorning his ceiling sparked in tune with his shifting emotions. The light slithered down the wall, up to his wilted hand, and made its home coiled around his neck. The warmth of a little flamed tongue lapped at his scruff, sparking a smile across the face of the mage. He reached out and stroked the ember’s arrowed head, his fingers whisking through its flames.

“We are fine, little light,” He told the serpent, who only coiled tighter at his words. The mage sat down his phone and leaned his head to the side, the indigo serpent booped its snoot against the bridge of the mages nose, he happily nuzzled the creature back, then gave it a scratch under the chin.

“She needs to learn. We have time." He broke off, depression tinting his next words. "We have... All the time. When the time is right.” His loyal magic, loosened at his calm spoken reassurance, it formed lava and dripped down his attire, only to recede back up the wall when a single drop touched the floor.

The mage leaned back in his chair, looking up at the light as it brightened the room. 

“You know that I wouldn’t let anything _ really _happen to your vessel, Dont you?” The flame sizzled in response. 

“Why dont you come home now?” In a blink, the magic, the light, was gone. 

He sat in the darkness of his home, nothing but the bright screen of his cellphone to light his vision. 

With an impassive hum, he went back to scrolling.

* * *

**KLAUS**

**5:30 AM**

**December 6th, 204X**

* * *

Music blared from the headphones taped to Blueberry's head. Klaus couldn't recall the exact moment Blueberry had put his head down; but the skeleton had been sitting there, unmoving, for the last hour. If Klaus had to guess, his team leader had fallen asleep.

It was typical.

He didn't think anyone worked as hard in a whole week as Blueberry worked in a singular day.

He checked his watch; five-thirty. A good bit of work had been done; the rest? It could be taken care of later. He was half asleep himself, ready to go home, kiss his wife before she left for work, then sleep his day away.

He stacked his paper files neatly off to the side, In a spot he could easily remember when he returned.

Then, he made his way over to Blueberry and gently shook his shoulder.

"Ist time to get up now," Klaus muttered in his exhausted German accent. Blueberry groaned, he reached out for his phone before his sockets had the chance to open.

Five percent.

Klaus winced, The skeleton had started Downloading the data onto his phone four hours ago, and it was only at 5 percent?

Blueberry seemed to have the same thought.

"uuugggGGGHHH." He whined, head dropping back down on his arms, Klaus shook his shoulder again.

"I sait. Get up." Blueberry did nothing other than letting out a drawn-out moan of anguish. He snuggled tighter into his arms. Klaus leaned back with a long blink.

"Ich, fine." He pulled Blues phone off the charger and stuck it in his pocket, after this, he proceeded to lift blueberry up off the chair by his arms.

When Blue was standing, albeit wobbly, Klaus swept the skeleton off his feet and carried him bridal style out the room.

"Jour lucky jour so light. Ozervise..." He trailed off, Blueberry curled himself into the man's chest and continued to doze, apparently trusting his teammate to get him from place to place safely.

"You're the best, Klaus." Blueberry muttered, letting sleep fully take him.

"Ja, ja." The man hummed, carrying him out. The security officer nearest their room gave Klaus a knowing look as he passed, trying to hide his smart-ass smirk. Before he could leave the main lobby, He was stopped by the commander of the raid. 

He was still here?

oof.

"Make sure you let him know that he can't come back for eight hours." Lennox commanded. Klaus barked out a laugh at that, using his rear end to but open the front door.

"I can try." He replied.

When he made it to his car, he just managed to sprawl Blueberry out on the back seat when the skeleton woke with a start. He padded down the pockets of his armor sloppily, a look of panic in his eye lights.

Without a word, Klaus pulled out his teammate's phone and tossed it onto his vest. 

Blues skeletal digits encased the device, he hugged it to his safely to his chest then turned and snuggled into the back seat.

Klaus rolled his eyes. He dug around in his trunk for his spare blanket and tossed it over the skeleton. He still didn't know if they got cold, but it was a nice gesture none-the-less. The human climbed into the driver's seat and pulled off into the forest, hoping to god that he could keep his eyes open long enough to make it home. 

* * *

**COMMANDER LENNOX**

**6:06 AM.**

* * *

The rain hadn’t let up, if anything, the commander noted how the storm in this area was getting much, much worse the more hours that passed by. 

It was still dark out, it could have been because of the black clouds overcasting the area, or a sign of winter slowly making its first appearance of the year. 

Security was still here about fifteen men who patrolled the area, making sure that anyone who’d managed to flee, did not return unpunished. At nine, he expected a new wave of tech support to arrive to continue to analyze and document, He’d worked a tiring night, but refused to leave before this time.

He sat on a chair in the main lobby, flicking his lighter as he lost track of his thoughts, gazing out the window watching lightning occasionally streak across the sky. He knew it wasn’t his judgment alone that would determine the fate of this building, but he couldn’t help but wonder… what this lab would be like, used for the right reasons. 

It was huge, as previously detailed, it had equipment most scientists would kill to get their hands on. The place was sturdy, bright, spacious. _ Private. _ The perfect place for more than a few souls in his force, if the stigma could be pushed aside. Commander Jamie Lennox raked A hand across his face, rubbing out the tiredness dragging down his eyelids. 

It was at this time when an ear-piercing roar shook the building. 

Lennox looked up, catching the wary eye of a coworker who followed his line of sight. 

“1..2-” His coworker began counting the pause, though the personal weathermen in the area said the storm would last into the afternoon. 

When the lightning struck insight through the long foyer window, both humans were astounded. It was like no lightning they had ever seen. Lenox found himself staring, the tanned skin of his body lighting up a vivid indigo as he approached the window.

“Ground to cloud?” His coworker mused, voice highly confused. That was the only way to describe it.

Outside, taking up the length of the parking lot were tendrils of purplish-blue lightning, they pulsed and surged out from what looked like _ beneath _the building. In a bright flash, the lightning shot up from the pavement, into the clouds.

In an instant, the building went dark. Lennox could hear the distant wailing thrum as generator by generator shut off in various locations within the lab, the last place to lose its light, was the foyer. His radio beeped, a few voices coming in at once

‘S_ecurity_ o_fficer Quint reporting a power outage in section 1-4’_

_ ‘Security officer Lamora reporting a power failure in sections 4-7.’ _

_ ‘Security officer Brown reporting~” _

“That was wicked.” Lennox frowned at the voice he’d forgotten about, his unaffected gaze left the window to look at the woman who’d spoken. He could just make out her impish smirk.

“Generators?” Lennox prodded, hoping she would have an answer to fix this, and always straight to the point; alas, she did not, she merely shrugged and turned back to the screen of her phone,

"I'm just here to make sure you don't fall asleep, cap." She replied, turning on the flashlight of her phone to shine around the area. It took several minutes for the power to return, and it only had after one of the security guards went down there to manually reboot it.

None of the coworkers could ignore how... Empty the place felt when the lights came finally back on.

And not one of them noticed how the lights were no longer tinted blue.

When the new wave of workers arrive, they'd find every spec of digital data missing, with no hint that it had ever been here.

* * *

** _YOU._ **

** _???_ **

* * *

_You were lying down._

_The light above you was so bright. It hurt your sockets and made you want to sneeze. You were still, both by choice and by force, you could feel the cold clamps around the thin bones of your wrist and ankles. They rubbed against you, it stung and it felt familiar like you'd been through it a million times, but for some reason, you can't remember ever being here._

_It smelt like chemicals and cheap cologne, with a hint of something sour. It was both comforting and alarming. You tried to look down at yourself but moving your head sent jolts of pain through the back of your skull. You didn't cry out; somehow you knew they wouldn't like that... But you wanted to._

_The light dimmed only a fraction, but to you, this small amount was pure relief. Your eye lights flicked this way and that, trying to make out the room through the lamps piercing glow._

_Then, a face. A human's face._

_Despite not once seeing him before, You felt like you'd known this face your entire life._

_He had a sharp jawline and cheekbones, his skin was a light brown with obsidian hair that matched his complexion, He wore a mask over his mouth and a pair of glasses with big lenses. There was a twines width of colorful light around his neck, like a glowing necklace._

_He looked down at you, confused._

_"You're conscious?" He asked, lifting a hand he waved it in your vision, your eye lights instinctively followed the movement, he bit his bottom lip, frowning._

_"Going to have to up the dosage." He muttered to himself, you still heard._

_"Getting stronger, are we?" His voice trailed as the humans head left your line of sight, you attempted to follow his movements but the screws keeping your skull still stopped you._

_You were strangely... Calm._

_You knew you shouldn't have been. _ _It was almost like you knew at any second you'd close your sockets In a blink, and wake up from a nap you didn't remember taking._

You woke up.

You weren't sure when you fell asleep, but one moment you were cuddling with Pap's hand and the next, you were shooting up from the bed in an out of breath panic. You were laying down.

Why were you laying down?!

You scrambled off the bed, getting caught up in the blankets. You struggled to free yourself as you finally managed to roll yourself off the edge, You didn't have the consciousness to wonder why you hadn't made a sound when you hit the floor; you were too busy pushing yourself up onto your bare feet. You pressed your wings against the corner of the wall, furthest away from the bed.

You hated laying down.

They did things to you when you laid down

.Things you couldn't remember.

You hated laying down.

Why were you laying down?

The panic subsided after a few minutes, your sockets zeroed in on the far wall, trying to imagine pictures on the light purple paint adorning it. Your nerves ate at your soul, burning up your body like hot lava, making you tremble.

You needed to draw. It was the only way you knew how to stop the shaking.

There was enough space here in your new room.

You needed to draw.

_Bare feet rooted to the frozen floors. Your room was so silent that you could hear the near non-existent thrum of your soul. That thrum proved you were alive._

_You were alive, This was life. You were in a place. You were alive, you weren't dead, you were _~ no!

Stop thinking~ stop thinking!

Stop thinking!

Stop thinking!

Stop thinking!

You chomped down on the tip of your phalange without any inkling of hesitation, your digits have long since gone numb to the bitter pain of biting them. Red marrow budded up from the broken chunks; you spit out the fractured shards and turned to face the wall.

You needed to draw.

You needed to draw.

So you lifted your mauled phalange and you drew.

* * *

**???**

* * *

Time was broken in the lab.

You knew how to count seconds, you knew sixty seconds made a minute, sixty minutes made an hour... sixty hours... made... a day? sixty days made a month? sixty months made a year? sixty years~

You always got lost trying to keep track of time. Sometimes you stood and counted as much as you could, you once made it all the way to sixty months! But counting made you tired, you fell asleep often at the repetition and had to start over, that was always frustrating! So you stopped and drew trees on the walls.

Trees. You _loved_ trees.

They were like you.

They stood, never moving, but ever-changing. They grew very tall and sprouted many branches, just like you~ if time wasn't broken. You hadn't grown an inch since you arrived. Or had you? The door never got any bigger or smaller, it was the same height as it was every time you looked at it.

You tried to imagine the curves of those branches as you smoothly dragged your finger across the wall of your new room, no... your new house! You lived in a house now, with other skeletons! Your phalange stilled as you broke into thought. You wondered... was the door locked? Your eye lights shot to the entrance of your room, it was just as you remembered it when you looked at it before. You left your drawing to be continued later and cautiously walked up to it, it was amazing! so many different curves, lines, and shades of re- _brown_. Brown. That was not red, it was _brown~ _But it was still beautiful!

The marrow had run dry on your fingertips, even so, you still began tracing the different patterns in the wood. There was so much to look at, you wanted to look at it, you wanted to memorize all of it~ 

~But there was something more important wasn't there? 

Was it open? 

You took the nob in your hand and turned it, your wings twitched behind you when it clicked, you pulled, it opened.

It opened

It opened!

You peeked out into the hallway, it was dark, but there was a table at the end with a lit candle, so you could see the general area. 

The flicker of its flame drew you like a moth, you soundlessly pattered up to it, the gentle yellow flame flickered steadily, making the white parts of your bones mirror its color. You lifted your hand and watched the light reflect off it. 

Wow. 

* * *

**???**

* * *

Some time had passed. You didn't know how much, but the tips of your wings scraping against the ground alerted you to the fact that you'd lost awareness. It always did. You straightened your wings, and ordered your attention away from it. You saw stairs, there was another glow coming from the bottom, but this glow was white. You investigated.

Stairs. 

You'd forgotten about your earlier encounter with them, halfway down, you remembered why.

You hated stairs. By the time you hit the bottom, you were wheezing, using the nearest wall for support. Gravity really wanted to pull you down, You felt weak all over, but you came down here for a reason so~ 

What... was that reason? 

Why did you come down here?

When you recovered, you went into the kitchen, letting your feet lead you. Food, you didn't eat much in the lab. Sometimes you'd blink to there being a plate on the floor, but that only happened once in a long while. you never really got hungry, you never _were_ hungry, but the food came when you were so weak you had to sit. 

You felt uncomfortable in the way you remembered as hunger, though, and in your soul knew kitchens held food, and food took away that feeling. You searched the small open doors~ _cupboards_. They were called cupboards. When you found nothing but boxes and metal you went to the Fridge, you dug around there for a while when you came across the love of your life. 

You didn't know what it was at first, you just knew it smelt way better than everything else the cold white food wardrobe had to offer. Before the lab, you didn't have things like this. Food didn't look like this, nor did its storage, but it must be edible? in some way? Getting the cap off with too much ease, you poked at the white nozzle a bit, once or twice it spat out a puff of heavenly air but nothing else came out of it. You wanted whatever was in this can. 

You wanted it bad.

It smelt so good. You pressed down harder, rewarded with nothing other than more of that sweet-smelling wind. You were so frustrated! You were hungry! You wanted it so bad! 

So you shook it.

Vigorously.

Like doing so was the answer to any problem. 

It stopped sloshing after a moment, and it felt heavier. Had you just shaken food into existence? WHERE WAS THIS YOUR ENTIRE LIFE? That was so easy!

You pressed the nob, and out squirted the food. it landed on your bloodied hand but you were too excited to care about sanitary issues~ you quickly lapped it up with your golden tongue.

You were in love. 

How could something taste so great?! 

You _loved_ this white and blue can! you absolutely _loved _it! 

You could get _lost _in its flavor. Nothing was stopping you, right now, it was in your hands, it was _yours. _

So, you tipped back your skull, pressed down on the nozzle, and drained it for all it was worth.

Needless to say, you fell asleep quickly when it was empty.

* * *

**???**

* * *

Footsteps.

A couple of thumps with some shuffling coming from beyond the nearest door.

"unlock zee door, Blue."

_Hmm?_

“If jou don't vake up long enough to unlock ze door I vill leave jou on ze porch, Blue.” 

_ Blue? _you heard the others say that name before.

There was a noise as a reply, You shifted from your spot, sitting on the cold kitchen floor. 

“No, I dont vant to leave jou on the porch. vut if jou dont tell me vere za key is I can't get jou inside if I cant get jou inside ill 'ave to leave jou on za porch, 'cuz I'm not bringing you 'ome wis me."

There was shuffling, then a long sigh. 

“Fine. lay zere like a package, i dont care. I’m goink 'ome.” footsteps receding. It grew quiet again, you felt the can in your grasp a moment~ just to make sure it was still there, you relaxed and let the hum of the machine behind you, lull you back to sleep.

* * *

**PAPYRUS.**

**6:45 AM.**

* * *

Papyrus had an internal alarm clock, at least, that's what others said about him. He woke up at the same time every morning, down to the minute. Six forty-five. He had work at eight-thirty, which left him with more than enough time to cook up some breakfast and wrap it in foil for when the boys wake up. Papyrus didn't know when his lazy brothers woke, but the food was always gone by the time he got home; he assumed they cared nothing if it was cold.

This morning started like any other, He woke up, listened to his favorite song while he did his morning stretches, then took a shower, got himself dressed, swept up the hallways, then made his way down the stairs to start the meal.

He was going with pancakes today, he didn't want to do anything too overwhelming for their newest guest, Papyrus was under the impression that you hadn't had a variety of foods to choose from: the last thing he wanted was to make you sick with something too saucy, or greasy. 

He made it to the living room and paused.

The first floor was a bit... Colder then it should be. He checked the thermostat, it was at the appropriate temperature, seventy degrees, so why was it so cold?

He made his rounds, straightening up the living room, dusting spots that needed to be dusted, pulling up the blinds. He peeked out the nearest window, hoping to see Blueberries motorcycle in the driveway; it wasn't there, but he did see something else.

He saw Blue himself.

Curled up in a blanket, fast asleep on the front porch.

He automatically assumed Klaus had brought him home; that human was the only one on the team who knew where they lived. He quickly unlocked the door and carried the skeleton inside. Blue shifted and woke fairly easy at the handling.

"MORNING PAPS." He said with a yawn, spreading out his limbs he wobbled a wee bit at being put down.

"WHEN DID YOU GET HOME?" Paps asked.

"WHY IS IT SO COLD- UM? FIVE?" Blue replied, tightening the blanket around himself. Papyrus frowned; so he hadn't been the only one to notice the change in temperature. For a guy who slept outside that is.

Blue pulled out his phone and checked the time, His sockets widened, eye lights blinking into small red exclamation points.Before he could snap into action to get ready for the day, the taller skeleton stopped him by pulling off his uniforms vest in one rapid motion, stalling Blueberries plan. Blueberry may have just woken up, but his reflexes were fire, his hand snapped up to grab ahold of the vest before it could be fully pulled away. 

Papyrus narrowed his sockets daringly at his personality counterpart. Blueberry narrowed his back, Papyrus would admit the youngest household member did have this way of looking way too intimidating, and sometimes downright terrifying. He held his ground, though. He trusted Blueberry as much as he trusted Sans. 

"YOU SHOULD GO BACK TO SLEEP, BLUE, YOU'VE ONLY GOTTEN A FEW HOURS." Blueberry kept his grip on the vest, he tugged. Papyrus tugged back. Blueberry pulled again, harder this time, Papyrus adjusted his gloved grip and rolled a shoulder, he paused, smirked, then yanked twice as strong~

Thus, began the tug of war match of the century between two fully-fledged adults and one poor, beaten up SWAT vest.

In the end, Papyrus won. 

Said skeleton puffed up his chest, holding the vest high out of the smaller skeletons reach. "GO TO BED, OR I WILL GIVE THIS TO STRETCH."

Blueberry gasped audaciously, going as far as to stumble a step back, pushed from the force of his words.

"PAPYRUS, NO! HE STILL HASN'T TOLD ME WHERE HE PUT MY COCO-BUTTER LOTION, I'LL NEVER GET IT BACK! EVERY TIME I ASK ABOUT IT HE JUST CHUCKLES AND SLINKS AWAY LIKE A WEIRDO!" 

Papryus leaned foreword and gave Blue a friendly smile. "Then Promise Me You'll Get Some Sleep." Blue shrunk, instantly nervous with the drop of Papyrus voice outside of the work environment.

"BUT PAPPY I LIKE WORKING!" Blue whined.

"Oh, I Know. " Papyrus said, he walked over to the door and draped the vest over one of the coat hangars. "BUT! YOU NEED YOUR SLEEP TOO! HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO FUNCTION WELL WITH AN HOUR OF SLEEP?"

Blueberry paused, thinking of a good answer, after a moment he found none, and further wilted in his spot. Papyrus straightened proudly.

"I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU IN UNTIL AFTER THREE!"

"CAN I AT LEAST HELP YOU WITH BREAKFAST?"

"OF COURSE!"

Papyrus made sure to stand directly in front of the hangars, he gestured to the kitchen and Blueberry got the hint.

When they entered, both of them received_ why_ it was so cold.

The fridge door was wide open.

And you were, basically, passed out laying inside it.

"IS TODAY NATIONAL SKELETONS PASSED OUT ON THE FLOOR DAY OR SOMETHING?" Papyrus asked no one in particular as he wondered up to you, Blueberry was frozen in place, staring at your slumbering form. 

Papyrus realized too late the loudness of his voice, you startled awake, jerking yourself into one of the shelves, causing it to come loose. Before anyone could react, items tumbled down from the unhinged shelf and nearly buried you. He wondered briefly, as you wildly looked around, how you hadn't woken up earlier with their screaming match a few feet away.

You looked up at the both of them, sockets wide in shock at the situation. You then looked over the items now scattered about your lap, unmoving.

Blueberry was the first to start laughing, Papyrus soon joined in. Both of the loud skele's bent down and began removing the objects from atop you. 

"WE'LL, THAT HAPPENED," Blue commented, he fixed the shelf and began returning the items to their places.

while he did this, Papyrus drew his attention to you. You looked terrified, and for a moment he hoped you weren't hurt, but he recognized the guilt written in your slumped features and was quick to reassure you, quieter this time.

"Were Not Mad At You Little One." He began holding out one of his hands.

_"Yin."_ Was your abrupt reply. Your wings jolted up at the sight of Papyrus's glove, you quickly butt-scooted across the kitchen floor, up to where he was kneeling. With no hesitation, you rested your cheek against his hand.

"Yin?" Papyrus questioned, trying to urge more out of you. You were talking, and he was proud of you for it, he gently used his thumb to massage your jaw, making you relax further.

Instead of standing up, he decided to sit himself down on the floor with you.

_"S' my Name."_ You finished, Papyrus was worried his sitting would cause you to push away; instead, you shifted closer to him. He wasted no time pulling you up onto his lap, confused with his sudden action. He smiled happily when you didn't protest: you just slumped against his armor and curled up as much as you could.

"Yin? What A Fantastic Name!" He gave you a head pat, which you, expectedly, melted into.

Blueberry decided to join the two of you, sitting himself down in front of the fridge as he finished putting the items away.

"KITCHEN FLOOR PARTY! SELFIE!" He cried out happily, he leaned back lifting up his phone, catching all three of them in the camera. Papyrus gave a thumbs up, and you stared up at the skeleton in wonder.

He snapped the picture and stuck his device back in its place.

Then, he began reaching for the whipped cream can in your hand; Papyrus figured you'd latched onto it when everything fell, so imagine both their surprise when, the passive Yin, growled and actually bit Blues hand when he got to close to it.

"OW- HEY!"

"YIN!" Papyrus scolded, frowning down at you. You shrunk on yourself and went as far as to slowly tuck the can beneath your- Stretches sweater.

"That Was Rude!" Papyrus continued, you wilted further but kept your hard eyes lights locked on the confused Blueberry.

_"Mine."_ You said.

"THE WHIPPED CREAM?"

_"Whipped cream?"_

"THAT'S WHAT IT IS! ITS WHIPPED CREAM!" Blue supplied, keeping his hands well away from the object in question.

_"I like the whipped cream."_ You said softly, nuzzling against Papryus's chest.

Papyrus was quiet, he couldn't keep scolding you when you looked so ADORABLE! So instead of dishing out a punishment, he opted to wrap his arms around you and keep you in a safe hold.

"That's Okay! But No Biting, We Don't Bite People Here. Okay?"

You nodded your head softly to his words and the taller brother returned your nod in satisfaction.

Blue closed the fridge door with a click, then he turned and leaned against it, he struck out his hand and smiled brightly.

Papyrus watched your entire face light up at his smile.

"MY NAME IS BLUEBERRY! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME BLUE."

You tugged yourself out of Papyrus's grip and he let you go without a struggle, you butt-scooted, again, over to Blue and pressed your forehead into his glove.

"She Does That." Papyrus said at Blues minutely confused face, Blues look shifted into something softer as he visibly held himself back from hugging and holding you; Papyrus knew how much of a cuddle bug the youngest skeleton could be. He saw your wings sag, and your body loosen.

"I THINK SHE FELL ASLEEP." Blueberry stated.

Papyrus let out a small Nyeh as he stood up, Soul practically squealing.

"Yes. She Does That Too."

* * *

**BLUEBERRY.**

**9:02 am.**

* * *

Papyrus finished up with the pancakes relatively quickly, the kitchen mishap had taken a few minutes off his already cramped schedule, so he had to rush to leave in time; the tall swat skele didn't even have time to watch how you reacted to his food for the first time, which, was harsh enough to put any papyrus type personality down.

Blue watched you slowly get through the two pancakes you'd been served, studying you quietly as you did so.

He once more took out his phone and opened up the location where the labs files had downloaded. There were seven of them, just seven, that's all the managed to upload before Klaus brought him home. He was irritated, Blue knew he could burn through seven files in half-hour, he didn't want to wait until three to return to his job...

But Papyrus wanted him to sleep, he wouldn't go against his friend and brother's wishes. So instead he decided to unzip the files and let them load while he slept.

He finished his pancakes relatively quickly, feeling the strained feeling around his sockets one got when they only got an hour and a half of sleep.

You finished the first pancake and stopped, your face was twisted in a way that made it look like you were going to be sick. The pancakes had been good, the two of their cooking has improved drastically since they came to the surface and could actually evolve their ways.

He cleaned up both your plates and put the rest away in the fridge for the others later.

"COME ON, YIN. LET'S GET BACK TO BED OKAY?"

You froze in your seat.

Blue could feel your sudden fear.

In reaction to this, he shuffled over to get a better view of you. You started picking at your phalanges that, he just noticed did _not _look good. he was quick to grab one of your hands to stop you from doing it.

"Hey It's Okay," Blue reassured, rubbing the spots between your fingers. You started to relax and was able to get up off the kitchen chair with only a little tug in the right direction.

"Are YOU TIRED?"

You nodded, swaying as you stood, Blue pulled you closer to his side as he directed you to the stairs.

You looked at the stairs.

And whined.

Loudly.

Blue held back a giggle as the two of you journeyed up the treacherous steps, it took you a while, you had to stop every three steps and lean against him, out of breath.

This arose the question, why were you out of breath? You were a skeleton, you didn't need to breathe.

This made him want to look through those files even more...

But he resisted and led you to Papyrus's room.

You stepped inside, Blue behind you.

"DO YOU WANT A BEDTIME STOR~" he cut himself off with a strangled choking sound. As his eye lights were immediately drawn to the far wall.

It was covered in marrow.

Why???

You stared at it, passive with a small inkling of longing in your gaze. You shuffled over to it and sat down, you pulled the blanket on the floor over to you and curled up in it, wings pressed against the wall.

"YOU SLEEP ON THE BED, COME ON." Blue urged, trying his best to ignore _that_ corner. It can be dealt with later. You didn't move, even as Blueberry sat himself down on your bed.

Sitting down sent a wave of relief through his body. He wanted nothing more at that moment then to lay himself under the covers and pass out.

Instead, he shifted to look over at you, holding out a hand, palm faced up.

"What's Wrong?" You shook your head, body scrunching in on itself in attempts to look smaller. Blue realized you weren't going to talk, but by the wanting look on your eye lights as you stared at his hand... He knew how he could get you up here.

He laid down, flat on his stomach, facing you, he reached out to you with his still outstretched hand.

"What If I Stay Here With You?"

You searched his gaze.

He could feel your apprehension.

Why?

Why could he feel it?

"It's Okay, We Cuddle All The Time Here. It'll Make You Feel Better, I Promise." He made a 'come here' motion with his fingers, you looked down, back up at him, and finally gave.

It took you a straight minute to force yourself off the floor, and even longer to move next to the bed.

You didn't put your head in his hand, instead, you grabbed his glove.

Blue smiled at you in what he hoped was a reassuring way. Then he helped you climb in next to him.

Blue threw the covers over you. You were so stiff he was afraid you'd somehow solidified and were now frozen, so he wrapped an arm around you to 'warm you up'

You were no longer frozen.

You melted into his embrace, Tucking your face beneath his chin as you pressed your knees against your front and became nothing but a ball of skeleton attached to his chest. He wondered exactly how long you'd gone without this kind of attention. It couldn't be easy. Blueberry once had to go four days without any physical contact, when he went on a trip by himself to help a stranger out. His first hug returning had felt so... _great. _

He could feel your tremble, so he rubbed your back, at the base of your wings, whispering.

He felt your hot breath on his collarbone and tried his best not react to it. "I'll Be Here With You. Whatever You're Afraid of. I Got You."

You only hummed in acknowledgment. Blueberry waited for you to sleep before he let himself drift off, arms tight around your tense figure.

* * *

**How are you all liking the longer chapters? Yay? Nay? **

**Also, I did another drawing thing! **

**Thank you for reading! <3**

_ **Visit me here, where I sometimes post art.** _

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	5. Into The Outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! this chapter took a while for me to power through, and its also quite long! I just started writing scenes and i couldn't stop. Oh well, the more the better, right?
> 
> I've added some polls! at the bottom of this chapter, will be links to a couple of polls for this story, Lets make it a little interactive, yeah? They'll be up until I finish chapter six, so you have some time!

* * *

**YOU.**

**1:17 PM**

**December 6th, 204X**

* * *

Sleeping.

Sleeping is...

The best thing ever invented.

When your not worried about nightmares or being taken away in your slumber, sleeping can be the literal best.

It was the first time you'd slept so soundly. You took power naps... A lot, but they still required energy to stand and stay aware. But sleeping? LAYING DOWN?

Who knew those two things could be so good together.

When you woke up, there were no aches.

No pains.

Your body was just... Numb. So numb that you were afraid to move in fear of waking your body from whatever phase it was in. Stress that'd been in your bones for many, many years evaporated in the span of a single night, you were amazed!

You woke long before Blueberry, but in your happiness, you moved not one inch for what had to be a full hour before he finally stirred from his rest.

Did he feel amazing too? You studied his face, trying to find the happiness in its current slackened state

His sockets slowly but surely opened, you watched it happen, up to, and through the moment you scared the living crap out of him. He jerked back upon seeing your large sockets staring into his first thing in the morning.

The loss of contact from his hold made you feel so much colder. You still weren't in pain, but that could have been a pain all on its own.

Blueberry had a hand to his chest; the look he wore should've had you feeling bad for what you had unconsciously done, but for some reason... It was funny? It made you want to giggle?

"S-sorry." You muttered with the foreign feeling of a smirk lifting your mouth, was that amusement in your tone? Blue narrowed his sockets at you but was quick to snap back into his gentle nature.

"It's Okay!" He pushed himself further away from you, and you could not hold back the whine.

But the waaaarm.

And the cooozyyyy.

Blueberry stretched out his limbs across the bed while he checked his messages. After a second pause, he swung his feet over the edge of the bed.

Come baaaack

Noooo.

Meeeeeh.

He dropped to the floor so quickly you barely processed it. Your wings jettisoned upwards at the motion, momentarily terrified for what may have happened to your cozy friend.

When you leered over the side you noticed he was pushing himself up? Over and over again with his arms? Was he pushing the ground? Sure looked like he was pushing the ground.

But... _why?_

You never voiced this question, and instead, laid front first across the bed to watch him. Blueberry continued for a few minutes he looked very focused when he finished then stood up and started slapping his hands together above his head, and spreading his legs, with a hop. He was hopping, slapping his hands and hopping? What's going on?!

Is he trying to talk to you?

Should you be responding?

With a start, you stood and began copying him.

It was then when Blueberry looked at you.

"HEY, NO JUMPING ON THE~ WAIT! YOU ALMOST HAD IT THERE! YOU HAVE TO DO IT AT THE SAME TIME, LIKE THIS."

He put his hands at his sides and his legs together.

"DO THIS." He commanded, you instantly sucked your limbs inward, bones clanking together at the harsh jostle.

He jumped and moved his legs and arms at the same, and he repeated this a couple of times before he stopped.

"GO AHEAD, TRY IT."

It made you feel silly, but you tried it. You hopped and threw out your limbs in the jump-slap.

"YEAH! YOU GOT IT!"

His words encouraged you. He sounded so proud! You felt proud! So you kept going, jump-slap, jump-slap, jump-slap. Before you knew it, Blueberry was timing his moves with your own.

"YES! YOU'RE A JUMPING JACK EXPERT!"

Jumping jack? You didn't have those before the lab.

This was silly!

But why were you doing this? Because it's FUN! And also! Your body wasn't hurting still! This was great! You were moving, and there was no pain! No gravity!

It felt so GOOD!

You were a giggling mess, but still, you continued to do the jump-slaps, and Blueberry continued to encourage you. Twenty minutes later, Your cozy skeleton's phone alarm went off, and he stopped you by lifting you off the now trashed bed and setting you on the floor. It was then when he asked you a question.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO ON A JOG WITH ME, YIN?"

You knew what jogging was, of course. You also knew you couldn't jog in the house.

Did that mean... Outside?

_ Outside? _

_ Out**side?** _

"_**Ou'**s**i**de__?!"_

Blueberry pulled back in general bafflement over the jumble of that word. "...MHM. OUTSIDE."

OUTSIDE!

Where the trees and the grass and NATURE WAS!

Your excitement from the early risen exercise was amplified tenfold at just that single message. You took off at a full run towards the bedroom opening, you threw it open, scrambled down the hall, took the steps two at a time, and rushed to the front door, passing both Stretch and Sans who sat on the living room couch.

You didn't notice them giving you confused, strange looks as you bolted past.

You sat down before the door and stared at the handle like doing so would make it open for you.

It took longer then you liked for Blueberry to emerge from upstairs. He was dressed and carried a pair of long pants and a big blue jacket in his other hand.

"BEFORE WE GO, ASSUMING YOU STILL WANT TO?" You nodded vigorously, his smile broadened.

"YOU NEED TO BE PROPERLY DRESSED. THERE MAY NOT BE SNOW, BUT ITS STILL COLD!" He dropped the clothing in your awaiting hand, you looked down at them, trying to remember just what to do with it. Before the lab, you wore dresses, and you knew your mother loved the way you looked in a yellow dress!

You figured it out quickly, and you pulled the pants up over your legs as you sat. They were on backwords, but you didn't notice or care. You then hastily slipped the coat leaving it unzippered because let's face it. You didn't even know what whip cream was, how would you know how to zip up a zipper?

You wanted to go into the outside!

Now!!

You held onto the door handle while Blue grabbed two water bottles from the fridge. You stared at him while he did this. He was taking sooo long!

SO LONG!

"mornin' blue," Stretch called from the couch to your horror, Blueberry abandoned his spot in the kitchen to go greet Stretch. You whined, Sans chuckled at it.

"someone's needy."

Whatever that meant, you ignored it. Sans wasn't taking you outside, so you currently didn't care about anything he had to say.

"MORNING STRETCH! YIN AND I ARE GOING ON A JOG BEFORE I GO BACK TO WORK. I WOULD ASK IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ME BUT WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT." Stretch snickered, sinking further into the cushions. He looked comfortable like his body was liquid. Which was stupid because you knew he was bones.

"how was work?" It was Sans that said it that time. Blue hummed, you stood up impatiently, and started shifting from foot to foot with your hand still on the door.

Outsiiiideee.

"IT WAS A LONG NIGHT, BUT WE GOT A LOT DONE. HOW WAS... BEING HOME? DOING... WHAT IS IT YOU'RE DOING NOW? Sans snorted, he, too, sunk deeper into his recliner looking much like a lifeless hunk of bones, he held up the remote and clicked it at the television.

"i sell shiz on eBay." sans replied. "you up for a little meeting when you get home?" He finished.

Blueberry narrowed his sockets at the near-swear but didn't comment on it. "OF COURSE! THERE ARE A FEW THINGS ID LIKE TO~"

You had it. You didn't care what they were saying; this was taking too long!

"OUTSIIIIIIDE" you cried out, silencing the entire room and causing Blue to cut off his sentence with a sharp clack. In unison, they turned to look at you, and such gazes should've had you ducking for cover to hide behind, but you stood your ground and narrowed your eyes at Blueberry, who was slowly losing his composure at the outburst.

"we'll talk about it when ya get home," Sans said, giving you a wink. You didn't know what a wink was, but you copied the move regardless because yay, communication! You were communicating! You weren't _alone._ This caused Sans's cheeks to dust a dull shade of blue. He hastily looked away, and Stretch laughed at his counterpart's predicament.

"seeyah in a bit, blue." Stretch waved the two of you off, Blueberry finally made it to the door. You wouldn't let go of your death grip on the handle, so the cozy skele had to cover your hand with his own to turn it.

The door opened.

The bright, beautiful world you hadn't seen in so long, was now in your view.

You stood there, unable to move from the sight, frozen in wonder as the chilly winter breeze blew your clothing about.

"was' that noise?" Stretch began.

Blueberry was too surprised to respond, it turns out he didn't have to. There was a deep laugh from the livingroom; the slits of your eye lights dilated.

"sounds like the teas ready," Sans said knowingly.

"THE TEA? YOU ACTUALLY MADE~"

You heard nothing after that, only the rushing of wind past your horns as you took off into a world you forgot existed.

* * *

**BLUEBERRY.**

**2:03 PM.**

* * *

"THE TEA? YOU ACTUALLY MADE TEA~WAIT, YIN!!" Blueberry knew you missed the outdoors, but he didn't know you missed it that much, he saw the back of your wings in the distance as you took off in a straight line, across the road, heading straight for the large willow tree across the street. That willow had been there long before the swap verse arrived, long before the monsters returned. At least that's what Blue heard the neighbors say about it.

He jogged after you, wanting to keep you safely In his sights, and in grabbing distance incase anything unpredictable happened. It was a lot safer now for monsters then it had been just ten years ago, but Blueberry, having the job that he had, still didn't trust everyone. After twenty years, the previous hate groups hadn't dissolved, but more... Solidified, into something short of a religion that congregated to talk hate. The violence was at a minimum, though.

People could talk, they were allowed to their opinions...

It was the ones that acted on those thoughts that had Blueberry nervous. 

"YOU CAN'T JUST RUN OFF LIKE THAT, YIN! YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN HIT BY A CAR." He said after reaching the other side he thrust his hand back at the road in question, just as a truck sped by, proving his point, the vehicle was going much to fast for the neighborhood's limits. You watched it pass by until it crossed a bend and stared after it, long after the sound of its engine faded. 

Blue stood there, hands on his hips, waiting for... some form of acknowledgment from the detached skeleton. Another car went by, and your trapped gaze swung from the roads bend to the new vehicle, which drove much slower than the last one. When the car left your vision you barely sagged, you turned back to the willow tree and completely ignored what Blueberry had said, At least outwardly.

You traced your fingers over the bark, your far away eyelights slowly dragging up the willows length, you seemed in awe over the long hanging branches, and reached out to filter your small phalanges through the soft bundles of leaves. The hanging limbs were almost long enough now to reach the ground: another few years and this willow would have its own little bubble of privacy that would no doubt, draw in the neighborhood children and become their secret fort. 

If you were to stay, Blue had no doubt you'd be the first to make that alcove your lair. 

Usually, Blueberry would feel some form of urgency on his jog at this time of day; the feeling of guilt and being late to work would cause him to rush his activities, watching you now though, Blue felt in no hurry to get his exercise in. You didn't display any outward indication that you wanted to leave the area; in fact, just as he thought it, you sat down under the willow and pulled up a fallen branch into your lap to study. 

You looked generally happy to be there. 

He didn't_ have_ to be in today, he could use a physical break...

So Blueberry made his way over and sat next to you, instead of laying back to nap, as Stretch or Sans would, though, he pulled out his trusty phone and opened up his file folders that unzipped while he was sleeping. He didn't have to be _at_ work, to work. One more sneaky side-glance your way proved the last thing you wanted to do, was move. 

He'd at least, skim through the words and get it sent to Gaster. It was safer with him then it was on Blueberry's phone. 

The sun showed brightly above, and though it did little to warm the chill, neither of you paid that cold nip any mind, too lost in your own little worlds. 

* * *

**2:40 PM.**

* * *

Blueberry checked the time, only because his body began to ache from sitting still for so long. he stretched out his legs and let out an indecent groan, sure, he had no muscles to stretch but the action still felt good. There was a shift off to his left, he turned to see you looked at him with an almost disgusted glance. Over the course of your time here you'd managed to pull up several twigs to cover your lap, he'd peeked over once or twice, watching as you used the branches to pull ones that we further away, closer, just so you didn't have to stand up or move to get them.

Blue thought back to you jumping on his bed and wondered how someone who displayed that much energy could suddenly not have enough to move. Hed skimmed through most of the seven files, and he had a small idea as to why you sometimes appeared reluctant to travel. He barely understood half the words on the page and started getting a headache the more he read.

You have Sappings Disease. A disease summarized vaguely as 'a virus that targets the soul: It causes the soul to lose half the energy it naturally creates.' He'd never heard of this, never encountered it, he doubted it was real and would hopefully find answers when Gaster took a look at it. 

Was it contagious?

Something that you acquired at birth? 

Would it run its course or were you stuck with it? 

Did it require special treatment?

Maybe its why you were in isolation... He could see why doctors would quarantine a subject with a potential infectious virus, especially one with that summary.

No. He wouldn't come up with excuses to validate what the people at IACO did to you. They may have been purely professional, but there is absolutely no reason in the known universe to stick a child in isolation for two hundred years. 

All in all, he didn't find much in the data he had, He was, at the moment, trusting the current technicians that were probably already well at work, to attain the rest of your information. 

Blueberry didn't like thinking about this. You were free from that place, and you'd never go back if he had anything to say about it. It was time to help you move on from it, and that was hard to do if your handler's thoughts are too fogged over. his body tightened with confidence, that's right. He'd be your handier. He was going to make it his personal mission to rehabilitate you, even with his lack of knowledge in the subject. With the information sent to someone who could actually understand it~ All Blueberry had left to do was wait. Looking at you now, he could tell there was a lot you still needed to learn. or... relearn? He would teach you.

So, he stopped thinking about it. 

He put your information back far in the depths of his mind and decided to look at you in a new light. Taking into consideration your possible fake disease, Blue decided he wouldn't take you on this jog, but a walk around the neighborhood? He would do. 

Blue leaned over, slowly getting into your personal space. You seemed zoned out, staring blankly at the branches on your lap, almost as if you were sleeping with your sockets open. He reached out and gently poked your shoulder; even with such little force, you still swayed at the action.

"HEY, YOU."

You looked up at him. 

_"Uh?" _

"WANT TO TAKE A WALK? THERE'S A PARK JUST DOWN THE ROAD THAT I THINK YOU MIGHT LIKE." Blueberry stood, standing proudly before you he offered his hand. Recognition flashed in your sockets and Blue almost pulled away~ remembering just what you did with offered hands. 

_"Uh...Ok."_

You put your blacked-out hand, palm down, in his, and he helped you to your feet. Every few steps you seemed to migrate closer to his side until you were completely pressed against him and Blue had to wrap an arm around your shoulders to keep you comfortable.

The Underswap skeleton had to admit; it was a little awkward walking like this, you kept bumping into him or he kept shoulder checking you and occasionally he'd almost trip over one of your feet. You were fairing no better, trying your hardest not to step on Blues shoes, but the longer you both walked, the easier it became. 

The walk was quiet at first. Aside from the occasional hum, you made at seeing something you liked. He didn't want to overwhelm you with his undoubtful talkative nature; at least not yet. That changed, though, when you stopped halfway to your destination and pointed at a Monster walking down the opposite street. You weren't pointing at the monster, though, you were pointing at the dog they were walking.

_"wassat?"_ You asked, and the words poured from Blues mouth like a freshly cracked dam holding back a raging river. He could only go so long keeping his mouth closed, he was eager to break the silence, glad that you did it first."THAT? ITS A DOG, YOU DONT KNOW WHAT A DOG IS? THEY'RE ANIMALS THAT PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF. A PET~ BUT NOT JUST A PET, FAMILY. " Your mouth parted, Blue could see your golden tongue resting inside. Your hands started to flex at your sides as you watched the monster's dog happily trot by their owners' side. Your wings did this little wiggle and Blue could tell you were holding yourself back from running over there. 

"YOU KNOW WHAT A PET IS?" 

You looked at him in a wide-eyed deadpan, one that made Blueberry feel like he'd just failed the easiest test of his life. 

_"Uh-huh." _You drawled, Blue raised his hands defensively, a grin stretching. "I WAS JUST MAKING SURE. DO YOU WANT TO SEE IF WE CAN GO SAY HI?" Your wings lurched upwards and in that instant, you seemed to gain a metric ton of energy. 

_"Mother had a pet."_ You said, tugging at his arm. "_She was a cow." _You finished, Blues bone brows rose at the sentence. 

"YOUR MOTHER WAS A COW? OR THE PET WAS THE COW?" You stopped and waited for a car to drive by; Blues chest puffed with a bit of pride; so you had been listening to him! Blueberry expected you to stop speaking, to go silent as you seemed to do. he wouldn't blame you: You did not seem to always be 'present' and could only guess how chopped up your thoughts were; but again, you surprised him, how, one might ask?

You laughed. 

It was a single, loud sound. One hefty, but genuine "_HA!_" but it was there, and though the volume of it could've been better maintained- the skeleton was simply overjoyed that he managed to get one out of you. 

_"No. Mom was like us. The cow was a cow. was a cow." _Blueberry overlooked the repetition of that sentence and decided it would be a great idea to get across the road now before any more vehicles decided to rush by. 

"HELLO! EXCUSE ME!" Blue cried out over the noise of the neighborhood, at the monster in attention. They continued walking without a single pause in their step, which, greatly confused Blueberry. His voice was naturally loud and he was unused to not being heard upon speaking.

But alas, you were there in his time of bafflement with an all-out screech of~_**"'SCUSE ME!" **_

The monster turned; They were close enough now to see most of his features. from a distance, the Monster was tall and hulking, a dark grey with a large fanned tail: He was an avian breed and, was actually quite pleasant to look at. instead of a blue or green tone as most of the bird-like monsters had, he had bright shades of purple and grey.

"Oh, hello!" he called, giving a wave, you were already trotting up to the bird monsters pet, you knelt and the large, white and poofy dog was already jumping and licking at you. "HI, IM BLUEBERRY. THIS IS YIN. WE WANTED TO KNOW IF WE COULD SAY HI TO YOUR PET~ UH. YIN. YOUR SUPPOSED TO ASK BEFORE YOU HANDLE SOMEONE'S PET~" 

"_Sorry!" _was your joyful response. the big fluff ball of a dog pushed you over with little to no effort, you didn't cry out though, you hit the ground and immediately wrapped your body around the animal and hugged them tightly to your body. Blue-spotted a couple of yellow-tinted tears pooling at the corner of your sockets. 

_"Sooooft."_ You sobbed. 

The bird monster laughed, a fond look passing over his facial features. "I'm Flint. nice to meet you Blueberry." He turned back to you and gave you a little bow. "and you too, Yin." You paid him no attention and continued ignoring everything else but the giant dog wriggling on your lap. "It's okay, he's very gentle. His names Hanz, purebred Siberian Samoyed." Flint talked proudly about his pet in a way a mother would of her child: It was clear the Monster loved and was very pleased with this animal. 

Blueberry wouldn't admit that he knew what a Siberian Samoyed was before he was told about it~ "HE IS VERY BEAUTIFUL~"

_"Goooorgeous." _

"~WHERE DID YOU GET HIM?" They both watched you play with the animal until you tired yourself out: Hanz was still pouncing and doing that paw stomp thing long after you sat back and settled on just running your phalanges through his hair. 

Flint was very talkative, but keeping up with the monster was no challenge for Blueberry. They talked about just about everything current: by the time the conversation came to a close, it seemed neither monster wanted to part, if only because of how happy you looked holding that dog. 

So, Blue convinced Flint to join them in the park.

* * *

**YOU.**

**3:02 PM.**

* * *

They were talking. A lot. Flint talked a lot, Blue talked a lot. there was constant yabbering in your ears. You understood it, most of it, but? You didn't listen. There was something more important demanding your attention.

Hanz.

You loved Hanz. 

You loved Hanz so much.

Sooo much.

You squished his face between both your hands and started sobbing at how CUTE his face looked when you wrinkled all his skin and fluff. there was so much fluff! it was sooo soft.

You couldn't stop touching him. your scratched at his back and his belly, and his face and his ears, He licked you and made these ADORABLE little noises and waggled his tail an~ 

YOU LOVED IT! 

You loved it sooo much! 

Forget mothers cow, You wanted a DOG. 

You wanted Hanz. 

You were so happy, but you were also crying. You hadn't cried in a long time, because you had nothing to really cry over, but the tears spilled out from your eye sockets as you handled the most incredible being you've ever had the privilege of meeting in your entire life. He licked at your face, and pushed his head against your body, he leaned his entire mass against you when you scruffed up the fur on his back.

You had never seen a creature look this happy: and it was contagious. You were giggling, and making noises back at him. All Hanz seemed to want was to be pet, because he loved the way it felt, and all you wanted to do was to pet _him_ because you loved his soft fur. It was a match made in heaven. 

Time passed, You felt it tick on but you ignored it. As the others talked...

and talked,

and talked.

You took full advantage of it. Hanz jumped around, barking at you. He'd stomp his paws on the ground and do this strange bow, then he would run one loop around his owner- who expertly untangled himself in seconds.- and come back to do another bow. You knew what this was! He was communicating!

So what do you do?

We'll you copied him, of course!

You dropped down onto all fours and slapped your hands against the ground, then got up and ran a loop around Blueberry-Who paused mid-sentence to watch you with a half freaked out, half-amused glance- You came back around and dropped back down, Hanz woofed and tackled you, and although the movement hurt your shoulder a little, you were way too caught up in wrestling the large pooch, whistling in glee to care. 

You loved Hanz. 

You loved him sooo much. 

And you think he loved you too. 

Because when gravity started to pull at you again, and you started to slow down, he nudged at you and laid across your lap, keeping you seated so you could relax. He was such a good dog!

You pet him all over as he wiggled on your legs, his long tongue flopping out making your clothes wet with drool. You didn't care. How could you?

More time passed, you wanted to guess. Ten minutes? Maybe, you didn't know. but Maybe ten minutes passed, when Blueberry let out a drawn-out sigh that caught your attention, you focused back in on their conversation, not liking the tone of his sigh. 

"I SUPPOSE YOU'D WANT TO GET HOME BEFORE THAT, WHAT IS IT? FOOTBALL GAME? WE'D HATE TO KEEP YOU ANY LONGER~" His nervous eyelights ticked from Flint to you, then back to flint. Flint chuckled breathily. 

"Nonsense, Blue. It's been ages since I've had this much fun with a conversation." He paused, tightening the collars loops aroud his claws. "But." he continued. "I would like to sit down, at least. You said you're an officer? We'll do I have a story for you." His beak shifted in such a way one could feel the barely held back smile of remembrance. He gestured across the street towards a Dunkin' Donuts. It had an outdoor seating area. 

Blue shook his head no, however. 

"I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT, BUT WHY DONT YOU JOIN US IN THE PARK? THE SCENERY IS MUCH BETTER THERE, IM SURE." 

At the mention of park, you dont exactly know why, but you felt a rush of excitement and hastily jumped to your feet, dislodging Hanz and sending the poor fluff ball rolling onto his side. The dog didn't immediately get up, you looked down at Hanz, worried that you'd broken him. His tail thumped against the ground and he stared at you with such intensity that you knew he was fine, in one split second, the animal flailed around on his back then popped up onto all fours. 

Hanz booped his large head against your side and sat down next to you.

You dont know why, but you felt awesome. This dog was sitting next to you, all on his own, he WANTED to be there. 

You loved Hanz. 

You loved him sooo much.

And you think Flint noticed it. 

Because the bird monster watched you gently pet his pride and joy with relaxed, loving eyes, and said. "What a perfect suggestion!"

Resuming your journey, the silence was broken. This time, You happily enjoyed the background chatter, whilst you kept your phalanges secured around the Samoyed's collar. 

* * *

**BLUEBERRY**

**3:37 PM**

* * *

"Do you want to hold his leash?" Flint asked you. Blueberry could see the fence of the park coming into view now, it was a black metal, decorated florally. it spanned the length of the neighborhood park, to ensure the children's safety. Blue remembered helping the locals build that fence after a young boy was hit by a truck while chasing a toy across the road. He hadn't survived the hit, of course, and his death sparked life within the community to make sure something like that would never happen again. 

He looked over and watched you hesitantly reach out for the leash. For a moment Blueberry was afraid that Hanz would take off with you: the image of you being dragged this way and that by a dog built enough that he could probably pull a four-wheeler, had his panic mode engaging. Then he remembered how good Hanz was, the big fluffy love ball. He may not be like GD, or any of the ex-royal hounds, But he had some intelligence to him.

"YOU SEE THAT BLACK FENSE OVER THERE, YIN?" Blue pointed to the entrance to the park, your hands locked up inches from touching the leash, you looked to him then to the area in question, hesitating. 

_"uh-huh"_

"THAT'S THE PARK, MAKE SURE YOU GET THERE. AND WATCH FOR CARS!" 

Your wings trembled behind you, but Blueberry felt no fear. You all but ripped the leash out of Flint's claws. Hanz's ears perked as soon as your phalanges wrapped around the loop. he let out a deep wuuff and started hop-pacing excitedly. You cackled almost loudly, running towards the gate of the park. Blue was once again reassured at your safety: Hanz didn't rush ahead, he stayed at your side and ran with you, barking and wagging his funny looking tail. 

Blueberry cleared his throat, the two of them entering the park much slower then you had. Neither of them spoke for a good few steps, then...

"Is that your daughter?" Blueberries face erupted with color at the implications, eyelights flashing exclamation marks, he reared back and averted his gaze sharply.

"WHAT?! NO." A pause.

"IM TOO YOUNG FOR KIDS." 

"pfft." Flint puffed out, followed by a quick laugh. "You're old enough to be an officer but not old enough to have children?"

"SWAT, ACTUALLY." Blueberry bragged, lifting his head higher they passed through the gates and sat on the nearest bench. Flint let out a groan of relief upon sitting down, The skeleton scanned the area, The place was empty, but no less beautiful. it seemed the chilly temperatures kept most of the children away today, it didn't affect you in the least, though, you curiously inspected the obstacles with Hanz occasionally circling you.

"BUT NO. WE. UM, RESCUED HER YESTERDAY." He hated that term and decided to actively find a word to replace it, it made you sound like some kind of animal being seized. In a way, it was the perfect word. "SHES AN ADULT. OLDER THEN ME, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? SHE JUST HAS SOME~" Blue broke off, the last thing he wanted to do was belittle you like this, it felt like a violation of trust, this was a technically a stranger~ 

"Say no more," Flint assured he leaned back, looking up at the cloudy sky. "I get it, i do. I can tell." Blueberry winced. It really wasn't all that hard to figure it out, was it? 

The underswap skeleton didn't have any real way to respond to that, so he settled with a soft "...YEAH." 

He watched you crawl into one of the small playhouses. The windows were open and big enough to see you curl up on the ground, Hanz curled around you, Blueberry smiled. 

"SHE REALLY OPENED UP WHEN SHE SAW HANZ, THOUGH." Blue continued, nudging his skull in your direction, Flint hummed, and for a bit it seemed like that's all he had to say about it, then he raised his feathered eyebrow at Blue, and said. 

"There are dogs out there trained to help people like that, you know. Dogs have this way of fixing things we can't." He dug around his ruffled coat pocket and pulled out his phone~ naturally, the sight of another phone triggered Blueberry into retrieving his own, he noticed a few missed messages from Stretch, probably wondering why they weren't back yet.

The Blueberry realized it was potentially rude to divert all attention to the device he's clearly addicted to, and sat it on his lap instead of replying. "SERVICE DOGS, RIGHT?" 

"Mhm." a few more painfully loud taps later, Flint held up his touch screen phone to show Blueberry a website. "A human friend i knew a while back got one. This little poodle called Dixie. She would not. stop. recommending this site to me." his beak shifted in that way you knew he was smiling. "Its probably a good thing she drilled it in so viciously. maybe it'll help you out." 

Blue reached for the bird monsters phone. "May I?"

"'Course." he nodded humbly

He divided his attention between you and the site as he looked over the information panels. There were service dogs for so many different things, and, the more he read, the more convinced he became. He was quick to copy the link address into his own phone for later investigation. Just as he'd finished copying it, another text-filled his screen. 

**Stretch: ** _did u die_

Blueberry rolled his eye lights so hard Flint surely felt it, judging by the way he pulled back a bit and raised a brow. "ITS MY BROTHER." Blue quickly assured. "THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION IM GOING TO LOOK INTO IT," Blueberry said. 

** THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE: ** _ OF COURSE NOT. _ _ WE STOPPED AT THE PARK, WE'LL BE HOME IN A BIT. _

**Stretch: ** _k_

After exchanging phone numbers, the two monsters fell back into a loud, boisterous conversation about annoying family members, and you enjoyed the fuzziest nap of your life. 

* * *

* * *

**GASTER.**

**4:21 PM**

* * *

He'd woken up that <strike>morning-</strike>Afternoon, feeling better then he expected after a night of rest, it had been a long time since he'd slept so soundly. Although Gaster had escaped the void, and taken on a more physical form, that did not stop the void itself from 'wanting' him.

It pulled at his soul, near constantly draining him of his energy, trying to beckon him back to eternal isolation. He would not let it. He was happy to be back in the life of his sons, even his new sons, that technically weren't his. He was pleased, finally fortunate, even if each day dragged on, loading him with boredom. 

He'd gone about his day as he had each <strike>morning-</strike>_afternoon, _before then. He tripped out of bed, Half asleep, and immediately went to the fridge to grab an energy drink. After downing half the can, he'd stumble about the kitchen in his open bottom onesie while making himself breakfast. _(Usually just a thing of instant noodles)_

While he ate, he'd refresh his mind by reading over the notes he'd taken on his latest project the night before. And afterward? To the lab! Which was literally just a big open room with a piece of sh- garbage computer.

Gaster didn't have much to work on these days, the humans didn't trust him to work on his own projects. He was fairly new to the visible world, and after regaining their memories, the monsters were reluctant of him, their silent, timid behavior towards Gaster caused the humans to be hesitant as well. 

So they stuck him here, one room away from a fresh college graduate, in a cramped building ripe with losers in _training_. 

He'd admit, he was jealous. Papyrus had gotten into the law enforcement unit with only a few signatures. Then again, Papyrus was the definition of heroic and deserved the easiest path towards his end goal, no matter what it might be, his youngest son won that trust...

Now it was his turn. 

Of course, being restricted didn't mean he wouldn't keep some of his secrets.

He was **Gaster, **Afterall. 

Despite that, He enjoyed it here. He wanted humans to trust him, he wanted to earn that place in their society. He may have the tendency to make others feel tense and unsettled, but that was the little bit of the void that clung to him. The part he just _couldn't get rid of. _It wasn't entirely _his _fault. He could work through it, he would. Sooner or later they'd see _him._

He'd just sat down in his office chair, clicking on his computer when he got a series of messages on his phone one after the other.

Now, Gaster was no social butterfly, he had his moments of texting but left a considerable amount of time between responding. So when he saw the name Blueberry pop up, he was half tempted to flip his phone upside down and pretend he hadn't heard it go off.

Getting into a conversation with Blueberry, usually meant spending twenty to thirty minutes directly responding, to the point where the doctor would end up turning his phone off after declaring he had work to do, even if he didn't. 

He concluded to at least take a peek, without opening the message, he could gage the length of the discussion, based off its contents.

Instead of a conversation, what greeted him were two secured file messages labeled. 'SUBJECT A-1z.'

**"Curious."** Gaster hummed as he opened the files. He sat back in his comfortable double padded chair, going as far as to bring one barefoot up to rest against the edge of his desk. He barely got through reading the subject title when five more messages appeared. Pulling back, Gaster realized this might be more serious than the stay-in-touch chatter he was expecting.

He searched through the organized-chaos of his desk drawers for a USB cable. Finding it was a predictably frustrating challenge _(as it was every time he tried to find something) _When it was in his digits he plugged the cord into the half-booted computer and waited for the garbage machine to wake up. 

One day he'd go out into public and buy a new one. 

Today was not that day.

* * *

**FIRST POLL OF THE STORY GUYS! :D**

**Should Yin get a service dog?**

** <https://strawpoll.com/k7fddcdh> **

**If so, what breed?**

** <https://strawpoll.com/9wyhecye> **

_ **Visit me here, where I sometimes post art.** _

_ ** [My Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/themsoundwaves) ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I created 'Sappings disease' for this fanfic. feel free to use it in your own work, with credit given, of course!  
For those interested, I might whip up an info sheet for the disease, if I do I'll post it on my Tumblr!


	6. What It's Like, Part One.

* * *

As chapter six is now posted, the polls are complete! 

_ **-RESULTS-** _

_ **Question One: Should Yin Get A Service Dog?** _

_Out of **42** people who answered this question, **42** of them voted **"Yes."** **[100%]**_

_Out of **42** people who answered this question, **0** of them voted **"I Don't Care Either Way."** **[0%]**_

_Out of **42** people who answered this question, **0** of them voted **"No."** **[0%]**_

_ **Yin is officially getting a puppers soon! :D** _

* * *

_ **Question Two: What Breed Should Yin's Service Dog Be?** _

_Out of **39** people who answered this question, **3** of them voted **"Golden Retriever."** **[7%]**_

_Out of **39** people who answered this question, **8** of them voted **"Border Collie."** **[20%]**_

_Out of **39** people who answered this question, **10** of them voted **"German Shepard."** **[25%]**_

_Out of **39** people who answered this question, **18** of them voted **"Bernese Mountain Dog."** **[46%]**_

_ ** Yin's new companion will be a Bernese Mountain Dog, which, was the original plan when i had the idea! ** _

**Thank you to everyone who voted. and also, thank you to all my readers for giving this story a chance. I'm enjoying writing it and drawing sketches for it <3**

* * *

**BLUEBERRY.**

**6:00 PM.**

**December 6th, 204X**

* * *

Blueberry didn't want to be the one to do it. He really, honestly didn't. 

He didn't want to see your face fall into disappointment, he didn't want to be the guy that took away your enjoyment, or the new friend you clearly attained.

Stretch sent him a message, informing Blue that Papyrus was home early and wanted them both home by six-thirty, so they _had_ to leave.

He really, really didn't want to go over there and tell you that it was time to go. 

He couldn't make Flint do it, that would be just plain wrong, but he had to do something. Each minute ticked on closer to the deadline, you'd woken up from your nap half an hour ago, you were now climbing amongst the soft-metal playground buildings, touching just about everything in your path. You'd calmed down, And Blue could just start to see the age in your actions as you quietly, but happily walked Hanz through the buildings, like you were giving him a tour. 

The longer he stalled, the more restless he became.

He really, really, really, _really_ didn't want to be _that_ guy, and there was no way in hell that Flint would let them take the Seymoid home. 

"I've never seen such a _profound_ internal battle, my friend." Flints quiet chuckle stopped Blueberries' death stare at a couple of swings. The skeleton rubbed the ledge of his eyesocket a bit, the action strangely a comfort. He had no idea when he picked that little tick up, it just sort of came shortly after getting his job. 

"WE HAVE TO GO BUT~" In an instant, Your head popped up from behind one of the metal rails on the playgrounds bridge, gaze focused solely on him, Blueberry immediately stopped talking, a rare breed of fear that he hadn't experienced in his ten years of living on the surface scratched at his throat. There was _no way_ you heard that from here. _No. Way. _Sure he talked loud but he made _sure _that his voice didn't carry. 

Flint let out a strange hissing noise from holding back his laughter at the display.

Blueberry held your look and only spoke after you slowly descended back behind the fence.

He had no idea if you heard him or not but that was just about the scariest thing he'd ever experienced. 

"We Have To Go But I Dont Want To Make Her Upset." 

"Want some help?" Flint replied, before Blueberry could respond with a proper no, the purple and grey bird monster stood up and was already making his way towards the soft mesh building you and Hanz were last seen in, The short skeleton scrambled up from the bench and trotted quickly up to Flint's side. "YOU DONT HAVE TO~"

"It's quite alright, ill play bad cop, no problem." He walked up the small ramp and ducked down upon entering the mostly walled off the building, it was pretty cramped inside, blue could see. Especially with a giant lounging dog and you occupying most of its space.

He wasn't sure if you had done it or not, but the floor was practically made of tree branches. 

"Yin?" Flint called upon seeing you, your eye lights shifted up to meet his. "I'm very sorry, but its time for Hanz and I to go home." 

_"Ok."_ You said, standing to your full height you wrapped your hands around Hanz's collar and walked yourself out, down the ramp, onto the cold drying grass. 

That was... much easier then he thought it would be. 

Goodbyes were said, numbers exchanged, and after perhaps the longest pooch hug in recorded history, the two of you returned home.

* * *

**PAPYRUS.**

**6:14 PM.**

* * *

Papyrus tried to ignore the guilt eating at him while he worked on his home recipe macaroni and cheese. He never considered what he'd done as... 'against the rules.' He never actually _thought_ about the protocols involved. _WHY DIDN'T I? I ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES!_

He was full of bad news, and he was dreading the moment he had to talk about it. 

Of course, Sans and Stretch sensed his funky mood the moment he walked in the door to early; On a regular day, Papyrus would stay at headquarters until nine at night doing anything from rearranging the obstacle courses to simply doing paperwork for new employees. [Not many enjoyed doing it, but Papyrus found a comfortable rhythm in processing new entries.] 

No sooner then Papyrus had come through that door did Sans skull pop up from behind the back of his recliner to look at him. It took two seconds, just two. 

"why you home so early?" He'd said. 

"I HAVE NEWS."

"and?" 

"WE'LL TALK DURING DINNER." 

Not taking off his uniform while he cooked didn't help the situation. The house was quiet as he prepared the meal, even the TV's volume was noticeably low. He felt uncomfortable, knowing he was about to ruin more than a few nights.

Unconsciously he began to prepare himself for the unavoidable upcoming events. He tried to maintain some form of normalcy by taking some time [time that they really didn't have right now.] to make a nice, but quick dinner. 

Papyrus had slipped on his headphones and played his favorite song on loop until the meal was finished, he'd just finished setting up the table when you and Blueberry stepped inside. He was quick to pull them off his head and pocket the device. 

The usual, everyday conversations ensued as they all sat, but Papyrus saw that tiny, hardly noticeable look on Sans' face every time they made eye contact. Papyrus ignored his brother and watched while Blueberry started to show you how a fork was used: in response to it, you pointedly looked at the far wall with the best '_this fuckin' guy_' face Papyrus had ever seen. 

Sans and stretch instantly began laughing. Blueberry was not amused and voiced that by justifying himself to the entire room. "I WAS JUST MAKING SURE SHE KNEW!"

and Papyrus? honestly, he was a bit unfocused right now, he watched it all with a soft smile and a dazed look in his empty sockets. You ate slowly and looked to savor every bite before it had a chance to dissolve into energy. 

He waited until everyone was, basically, done with their food before he finally spoke. 

"So." He said, wincing at the sound of his own voice. He used to be an expert at disguising his emotions, but with the fear of an arrest on his shoulder blades, Papyrus found it was nearly impossible to keep the uneasiness out. 

"I'm Home Early." He finished. Blueberry raised a bone brow as he got up to help clear the table. Stretch lounged there, waiting. San's was the only one to verbally respond.

"and? why's that?" 

"Commander Lennox Gave Me A Head Start."

"A HEAD~?" 

"As It Turns Out, Sans, You Were Right By What You Had Said When I Came Home Last Night."

"can barely remember what movie I just watched paps, gonna have to explain that." Papyrus heaved out a groaning sound; he couldn't sit still anymore, he had to do something while he explained this. Abruptly, He stood up from his chair and took the gathered dishes from a confused Blueberry, [who always did the dishes when Papyrus cooked, as a thank you. Papyrus did the same when Blueberry cooked. It was routine by now.] 

"You Said That I Couldn't Just Take Yin Home." Sans shifted with confusion before remembering his own words. He winced best he could and gave a questionable shoulder raise. Papyrus turned his back to his housemates and started running the dirty plates under warm water, he focused his sockets on the darkening sky outside. He would never get over how beautiful the sunset was, even if you could not see the sun; the clouds~ the aura it left, it was breathtaking every time~

~he was getting off track.

"Jamie Lennox Came To Me Today, I Mistakenly Spoke About Yin And He Informed Me Of The Protocols I Broke Upon Bringing Her Straight Home." He needed to simplify this. He couldn't drag it out. He looked at the microwave clock. 6:32. 

"Long Story Short, Her Summary File From IACO Set Off Some Red Flags, And Now That They Know Where She Is..." He cleared his throat. get it out quick, like a bandaid. Just like a bandaid. 

"Jamie Told Me To Go Home, Get You All And Admit Ourselves To HQ'S CDC Willingly. And That If We Don't, The CDC Will Be Here In Under Two Hours To Detain All Of Us Forcefully." It was quiet. Nervewrackingly silent. Papyrus did not want to turn around and confront this, but he had one more thing to say, so he braved it and turned around. looking straight into Blueberries shell shocked sockets. 

"This Morning The Lab Went Through A Power Failure Due To The Weather." He forgot how easy it was to slip back into his professional ways of speaking. He was used to debriefing things like this with others... not with, well. family. 

"OKAY?" Was Blueberries hesitant answer.

"We Have Been Informed That The Power Failure Reset Every Computer And Computer Like System Back To Its Factory Settings." 

Blueberry processed this, and thankfully, everyone stayed quiet while the youngest of the skeletal family thought about it. Papyrus couldn't help the sigh of relief when Blue smiled at Papyrus brightly. 

"ITS OKAY PAPS, IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT." He came up and turned off the sink water flow. "THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME YOURSELF, BUT, I THINK WE HAVE SOMETHING MORE PRESSING TO WORRY ABOUT?" 

And just like that, the two of them clicked.

He and Blue were quite the team when partnered together. They could not read each other's thoughts, but over time, they figured out how to read each other's magic and body language. Because of this when Blue rounded the table and reached for his vest, Papyrus rounded the other side and pulled both his brother's chairs out. "UNLESS YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT A FULL-SCALE RAID LOOKS LIKE IN _REAL_ LIFE, I SUGGEST YOU BOTH GET UP AND GRAB YOUR TWO MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS. LIKE NOW." Sans was the first to get up, he still looked to be processing this but he managed it like a champ by teleporting off to his room.

Stretch took a little longer to get up but he handled the situation as he did basically every dilemma. Slowly and half-assed. 

You, on the other hand. 

You just looked at him, from your seat at the kitchen table, he could tell you understood him, but you looked too tired to properly respond. You had dirt on your clothes and you smelt like a pine tree, Papyrus guessed you'd had a pretty long day, and he felt terrible for being the one to make it longer. 

You'd only been here for a day, so you did not have anything important to grab, instead of directing you as he had the others, he knelt down next to your chair and hastily zipped your still open jacket. You continued to look at him with the love and admiration of an old loyal dog in your sockets. Papyrus had no idea when he had earned that look from you, but he wasn't complaining. 

"Where I'm Going To Bring You Might Make You Uncomfortable." You shifted in your seat, nervously looking away from him. "But I Promise I Won't Let Anything Happen To You, Okay? It Might Be Scary But I Won't Leave Your Side." Without really thinking about it, Papyrus reached out and started rubbing your skull, at the base of your white horn. You looked uncertain, body scrunching in with anxiety. 

"Do You Trust Me, Yin?" Papyrus asked, using his other hand to force your straying gaze to focus on him. Your wings dropped and he had the feeling that you really didn't trust him yet, but you nodded your head despite the fears and slid off the chair. Papyrus patted your head appraisingly as he stood to his full height. 

"I Need To Grab Something, Wait Here, And Stay Away From The Windows And Doors."

And just like that old loyal dog, you stayed. 

* * *

**YOU.**

**6:40 PM**

* * *

You'd heard every word, You knew most of them, but some of them you just couldn't understand. You barely knew what was happening when everyone hurried around the house. 

You just stood there, in front of your chair, watching them pass and speak to each other. You felt nervous, timid, and uncertain, and although Papyrus still wore a smile, you felt no happiness from him. 

You pictured Hanz in your head as you waited, imagined the world outside and all its colors. That beautiful wilted tree you adored. 

It was still that easy to go numb. One moment you watched Stretch grab something from under the couch, the next, you were outside sitting under that willow, mesmerized by those branches. You wanted to sleep on them, and on the grass. You didn't like the way the points pricked through your clothes at your bones but you also loved it, it was such a new feeling, it meant you were alive. 

You took a long blink and woke up. You were in Papyrus's car now; you recognized it from the smell and the constant thrum around your body at the vehicle's speed.

The first time you rode in this car was when Papyrus brought you home that first night. You had your skull buried in the armor on his shoulder and hadn't dared to peek out at your surroundings, half asleep and in shock. Now you wished you had, though. Maybe you would've felt safer.

You stared out the window, watching the world blur by, you wanted to take your time, to memorize every detail the outside world had to offer, but it went by in a flash so sudden you could only catch splotches of color and shapes. Still, it was beautiful, it was calm, it was... 

It was the moment you fully processed it: This was real, you were _free_. 

_So why do you still feel like you're there?_

* * *

**7:06 PM.**

* * *

The car stopped moving, parked before modern a two-story building. It was fancy grey and white, you were instantly threatened by it.

The five of you piled out, It was just as cold as it had been when you were at the park, you felt the bite of winter at your cheekbones: particularly the black side, it felt harsher against it somehow but you didn't mind, it reminded you of home. 

Your _real _home, between the snow-covered mountians~ 

Papyrus took your hand in his and lead you to the doors, where two humans were already waiting. They were wearing white masks over their mouths and bright colored gloves. You didn't know them you... didn't exactly know any humans. They both looked at you before anyone else, and the attention made you sidestep behind Papyrus. 

Papyrus was safe. 

"LENNOX." Papyrus greeted, he held out his skeletal hand but stopped, and settled for just bowing. "WE ARE HERE TO WILLINGLY ADMIT OURSELVES." Lennox took a good long look at the group, brows bent in thought. 

"I knew you would Papyrus, were all going to stick it out for you. We've managed to get the five of you the best rooms possible. Amanda." 

The woman who was previously silent standing at the commander's sidestepped foreword. Her hair was held up in a neat ponytail, she wore a white lab coat and a pair of black slacks. She smiled with her eyes and spoke professionally. 

"My name is Dr. Rose, but you can call me Amanda." Papyrus waved at the human female and she wiggled her fingers back. "Hey Paps, Anyway. I'm going to be your appointed doctor for the duration of your quarantine. If you would please, follow me." 

Lennox, ever the gentlemen, held open the doors for you all as you followed after the woman. The inside of the building was practically glowing, and so very, very spacious. Excitement lit up in your soul at the sight of the place. You still felt scared, but in your soul, you knew this was a good place. Papyrus squeezed your hand and you registered it and found yourself comfortable enough to slip out of his grip and wonder to a statue a little ways ahead. It was a tall statue of a dog wearing a uniform similar to Papyrus and Blues. 

The dog statue sat tall and alert with dignity, Dedicated and wise eyes forever watching over the entrance of the building. There was a golden plaque at the base of the statue. it had four badges placed around a picture of a beautiful black, brown and white dog. You squinted at the words as you tried to read for the first time in a very long time.

**MILITARY WORKING DOG**

**Thor.**

**2021-2032**

**We thank you for your nine years of dedicated**

**service. Thor will be remembered always for his**

**sacrifice, and his endless loyalty.**

**He Is Best Boy.**

You felt tears prick at your eyesockets, struck by the concept of those words, and you understood. You reached out, wanting to pet the dog through its picture, to tell him he was such a _good boy,_ when Amanda spoke up behind you. "You can look honey but please don't touch anything." Startled, you jumped back and quickly scurried behind the first skeleton in range; it just so happened to be Stretch. 

Instinctively, the least talkative skeleton stepped in front of you to protect you, you latched onto his new orange sweater and he let you. Amanda took her own step back and cleared her throat. Once again, they began moving, this time through another set of doors that lead down a hallway. "In occurrence to government law, all five of you must be admitted to quarantine for a fixed duration of four days. By law, I am required to ask for a signature as documented proof that you admit yourself to the following." You watched her from half behind Stretch as she looked down at her tablet.

"Evaluation and questioning of recent events, examinations such as marrow and bone scraping, soul scans, and or bloodwork to test for a possible contagious virus. Temporary zero contact confinement~"

You stopped listening because the further you walked down the hall, the more familiar it became. The walls went from wooden to white metal, the lights were somehow brighter. It smelt like Chemicals, everything was impossibly clean.

"~all this to ensure that previous subject labeled A1-Z~ Yin is healthy and clean of any contagion that may~"

_"We're going to try something new today, A1. Are you aware?" _

"~We have three rooms to which you will be occupying until you are evaluated. After evaluation, you will be transferred to a holding center where you will be under quarantine together to ensure ~"

_"Good, do you know where we're going? Do you want to know why you're here?"_

"~Sans and Blueberry will take this room, Stretch and Papyrus~" 

"I'M GOING WITH YIN, DOCTOR." Papyrus voice grounded you, you blinked around the area and noticed you were now in a large hallway, several white doors spanned before you. 

"Papyrus I'm sorry but this is how it must be done. Yin is the possible source so for your safety she must be~"

"IF SHE HAS SOME INFECTIOUS DISEASE, WHICH." Papyrus scoffed, he actually scoffed in disbelief. "I HIGHLY DOUBT, BUT IF SHE DOES, IT'S _SAFE _TO ASSUME THAT I HAVE ALREADY CONTACTED IT. SO WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT OF SEPARATING US?" 

"paps..." Sans warned, shifting uncomfortably beside his brother. 

"SHE JUST CAME BACK FROM THAT, SANS," Papyrus stated, hands on his hips. "I CAN'T SEND HER BACK TO A PLACE LIKE THAT, NOT ALONE." 

"It'll be for a day, Papyrus. not even." She squished her hands together in a pleading motion, looking right at your savior. "Not even, if you can all make haste during the evaluation, it could be less then a twelve-hour process. Then, if it's negative, you'll be moved to the same room~"

Papyrus's glove jerked in your direction so fast you flinched in fear of getting hit when he spoke, his voice was demanding and firm. 

"SHE IS AN ADULT, BEG HER. IN THE END, IT IS YIN'S DECISION, NOT MINE. ITS _HER_ MIND YOU'LL BE TRAUMATIZING. IF SHE WANTS ME TO STAY WITH HER THEN I WILL, I DO NOT CARE WHAT KIND OF STRINGS I HAVE TO PULL." 

You became Stretch's shadow when the attention found its way back to you, the limber skeleton hiding you gave you a reassuring nudge, and you thought about it.

You didn't fully understand what was going on, but the human woman seemed to want to put you by yourself, and Papyrus wanted to stay with you. 

This place was familiar, it reminded you of the labs, but still, you felt... safe. 

You pictured Thor, as a big beautiful canine sitting in front of your white door, keeping you safe inside it. Just like he had to everyone else he protected. You could be by yourself, you could be brave. 

Papyrus was right.

_You are an adult. _

_You're an adult. _

Your mother told you once, at such a young age you were surprised you remembered it, that sometimes, in order to get better sometimes you had to face what hurts you. 

You slid out from behind Stretch and took Amanda's gloved hand, your wings lifted up behind you and you felt proud of your decision. _"Ok. What one? That one?" _ You pointed to the third door beside the other two, Amanda stuttered, whether it as from the contact or from the abrupt choice, you'd never know. When she formulated a "Yes" you were quick to tug her in that direction.

_I'M BRAVE._

_I CAN MAKE MY OWN CHOICES._

But most importantly...

_"I'M AN ADULT!!" _ You cheered, Amanda flashed her card at the third door and it slid open, and without looking back, you stepped inside. Behind you, you could hear Sans snickering, and the sound further fueled you. 

"We'll be back to get you soon. Thank you, Yin. Can you go ahead and sign this? its a consent form." She held out the warm tablet in your direction, you scanned the words and only read the smaller ones. You didn't actually process any of what it said. There was a way too much for that. But still, You looked the words over, pretending to be thoughtful about it.

Finally, you used your drawing phalange to write your name on the line at the bottom of the page The letters looked like tentacle arms but you were proud of it. Amanda smiled at you when you finished, she tapped at the screen a bit then backed out of the doorway. "There's a button just inside the door. If you need something just press it, alright?" 

_"Alright." _

"And don't worry. There are good people here. You'll be back out in no time." With that, he door latched shut behind you, and it was silent. The room had a bed, a desk, and a dresser. There was a television mounted on the wall, muted. 

You were _alone._

But you know what?

You were fine. 

You climbed up on the bed and watched the silent moving pictures on the screen while you waited for Amanda to return. 

* * *

**SECOND POLL OF THE STORY!**

_ **This poll will stay up indefinitely and be used to influence new chapters! ** _

**Who do you, Personally, Want to see more P.O.V'S of?**

**strawpoll.com/xh9e1d7f**

_ **Visit me here, where I sometimes post art.** _

_ ** [My Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/themsoundwaves) ** _


	7. What It's Like, Part Two.

* * *

**YOU.**

**THE TV SAYS 8:11 PM.**

**December 6th, 204X**

* * *

The television was high up, far enough to be seen pretty well from the bed, but not the floor. The silence was killing you, and you couldn't lip-read what the humans on the screen were saying. You wanted to _hear_ dangit! 

So you climbed off your appointed bed and wandered to the wall the tv was attached to. You knew there were buttons on the side, you could see them, but you couldn't exactly _reach _them. On the tips of your toes, you just managed to touch the very bottom corner of the device. You growled in disappointment, why would they put it so far up there, purposely out of your reach? What was the point of having a television if you couldn't _HEAR OUT OF IT!_

You took in your surroundings, Slowly, using your _adult _brain. The button next to the door was looking more and more tempting to press. You could ask one of them to make the sound come out of it. The doctor lady said to push it if you needed anything. You shuffled nervously towards the door but stopped, a dark shade of brown-tinted the corner of your vision, you turned.

A desk.

Perfect. 

You didn't need someone to do it for you; you could do it yourself. 

You rounded the desk and pushed with your weak arms, it took several minutes and quite a few breaks, but you managed to get it into place, once there, you climbed onto its top, feeling a chest full of pride when you were finally able to reach the buttons. 

Buttons.

There were so many buttons.

You stared at them, overwhelmed. 

Whelp. 

You're an adult, so. 

You started pressing them, listening for any sound, occasionally bending back to see if what you were doing effected the pictures. It did. You pushed one, a white bar popped up at the bottom of the screen, but it didn't do anything and went away after a second. You pressed another, and a big box appeared over the moving pictures, but no sound. Then another, that did absolutely nothing. aaand another button pressed, Channel selection? What did that mean? There were words, but you couldn't read them because THE BIG BOX WAS STILL THERE AND IT WAS COVERING EVERYTHING. 

You forgot what button brought up the big box in the first place, was it this one? 

The television went black with a click, and you couldn't hold back your groan of pure irritation, now NONE of the buttons worked! 

Admitting defeat, you jumped off the table and took your walk of shame up to the pin next to the door. You stared at it, sighed, hung your head then unenthusiastically tapped it. 

There was a loud beep; nothing happened for a few seconds. Just when you thought you and buttons would never get along, static sounded all around you. 

_ **"Patient assistance, this is Jason, What can I do for you." ** _

You blinked up at the ceiling where the voice came from.

_"I did a thing." _You explained.

**_"A thing?"_**Jason replied. You swallowed, realizing you had to speak to portray what you wanted. Since leaving the labs, you've gotten better with words, but talking? You didn't like doing it, and you didn't like the sound of your voice. 

_"The TV." _You continued, turning and pointing to the source of your frustrations, doubtless of whether or not Jason could see it. _"It won't make a noise, and I couldn't find."_ You took a second, unconsciously. "_Find, I couldn't find the right button, and now it's off." _

There was a strangled noise on the other end of the line that reminded you of the noises. Stretch would sometimes make when others talked to him. You heard the squeak of a chair and the sound of someone walking.

** _"Alright, honey, Do you mind going back to the Television for me? I have the same model in my office Ill walk you through it. Lemmie know when you're ready."_ **

A grin budded across your face as you scrambled back over to the desk, you took up your position and eagerly looked up at the ceiling.

_"I'm ready!" _

_**"The first button, it's bigger than the rest, and its got a circle with a line in it, Do you see it?" **_You searched for the circle with a line and found it right where he described it.

_"Uh-huh."_

_**"That's the power. It turns the TV on and off. Go ahead and hit it." **_ You hit the button, and the television flicked on. The big box was still there, and like before, there was no sound. 

_"Okay its, Okay it's on but there's a box in front of the pictures."_

** _"A box? Like cardboard?"_ **

_"A box, like a box." _You replied, just a tad bit of attitude in your words. Jason bit back a laugh, and the microphone must've been top-notch because you could hear him... hissing?

_**"Is it on the screen? or on the outside?" **_ You reached out and tried to grab at the pop-up box. Your phalanges ended up just smashing against the screen. 

_"It's inside. It says Menue." _

_**"Oh, I thought you meant there was a box or something in front of your~ ugh why would I think that they're all nine feet in the air. Alright. That right there is your dropdown menu. You dont need it, so go back to where the buttons are, annnndddd...." **_his words turned to hum, as he seemed to need to figure out where it was himself.

There was the squeak of an opening door, you looked to your entrance first and foremost but realized it was coming from the ceiling. You waited, somewhat patiently.

_ **" Dude, what'a'ya doin'." ** _

_ **"Trying to find a button right now, Important work." ** _

_ **"Jus' use the remote." ** _

_ **"I'm trying to find it for our newest quarantine-ey. She doesn't know how to work the television~ nope, that's not it. okay, I found it, Ya still their hun?"** _

_"uh-huh."_

** _"Okay so, the menu button is, go to the power button, you there?"_ **

_"Uh-huh."_

** _"Alright, So, It's three down, then two to the right. it doesn't have a symbol or anything its bare."_ **

Three down... You counted three down and two to the right, just like he said, hitting the button you found the most significant relief when the box disappeared, and the moving pictures could once again be seen. 

_"it's gone!" _You cried out, unable to detain the excitement that brought you. It was the small things in life that seemed to make you happy; then again, little things were big things when you were reduced to having _nothing_ for a very long time. Jason laughed and seemed to share in your excitement. You couldn't tell if it was fake or genuine. 

** _"There we go! Now if I remember correctly~dude stop hovering."_ **

** _"I'm five feet away from ya."_ **

** _"Five feet too close, Go do something?"_ **

** _"This is way more interestin' then anything i got on' on so."_ **

** _"Ugh, gross. Anyway. If I remember correctly, you said it wouldn't make a sound? It's probably muted. That buttons the easiest to find anyway. Go to the very bottom row, you find it?"_ **

_"I'm there."_

** _"Its the very, very last button. There's a picture of a bell encased in a circle with a line through it. Press that, and it should unmute it."_ **

Once more following his detailed instructions, you located the button and clicked it quickly. Just like that, the speakers on the device lit up with life and sound. 

_**"We have sound!" **_Jason declared proudly. You giggled, hopping off the desk you took several steps back to review your handiwork. The sounds matched up with the people on screen.

You looked over to the digital clock beside your bed. 8:40. It took quite some time to get this done, but you felt damn good now that it was all over. You looked back up at the ceiling, wondering if Jason was still there.

_"Thank you!" _

_**"No problem, babe, just use the pin if you need anything else, Bro, This kids the cutest~" **_Click. The static went away, but you weren't forced into silence, the television continued loudly.

Kid. 

He called you kid.

For some reason, that word triggered you like never before. You stomped up to the button and smashed it. You waited for the static, then glared at the ceiling. 

"**P****atient**_** assistance, this is Jason, wh~"**_

_"I'M AN ADULT!"_

** _"~...at, You heard that?"_ **

_"Maybe not my, not, maybe not my skull, but my body is old!"_ Your wings choppily sprung upwards, you let out a hard puff of air. "I_ have an old body yours is a baby com..? compar..?ent?"_

_ **"Compared~?"** _

_"COMPARED TO MINE!" _

**_"Alright, alright. My bad. I'll rephrase, Would you rather I say "You are the cutest"?_**

You dont know why exactly, but your bones got super hot, especially on your face. You buried your head in your hands even though there was nobody around to see your blush. 

_"...yes." _

** _"Well, you're just the cutest thing, adult, or not. Now, why don't you relax a bit, hmm? I see on the logs that your up next for eval. Watch some of that TV, its good for you~ Oh, and if you want to change the channel there are two buttons on the bottom of the television. Left is up, right is down. I'll be here all night. Let me know if you need me... Buttons." _ **

** _"I think ya've said the word button, like, forty times." _ **

**_"Heh, yeah, it kinda stopped sounding like a wor~" _** Click. 

Buttons? 

It's better than Kid, you supposed.

Still a bit embarrassed, you made your way back to the bed and curled up in the blanket. 

This wasn't so bad. 

* * *

**YOU.**

**9:00 PM.**

* * *

You got bored quickly with the movie where people just talked a lot. It was so dull you didn't care to find a name when you slink off your bed again to look for something better to do. The talking was good being in the background, just not as your focus. Instead, you occupied your time with scouring the entirety of your room. The dressers below the bed weren't locked, so you easily broke into those and pulled out the piles of clothes tucked away in there. Why? You didn't know. You took them out and set them on your bed to inspect later.

The other side of the bed had equally easy drawers, but they had thin blankets of different colors. You left those inside, but you did take a yellow one out, you liked that color. You used your digits to poke two holes in the top, and fitted the sheet over your head, it covered you like a hood and draped down your back similar to the way a cape would. It felt right, having something covering your skull. 

The desk was still under the television, and it did not look to have anything that could be opened, so you ignored that in favor of the row of counters pressed against the wall next to your bed. The first one had a lock on it, you pouted but quickly moved on. The second one was open, and when you peeked inside you saw a little trash can with a bunch of boxes~ 

_Knock-Knock. _

_Click._

_eeee..._

What should have happened: You should've stood up, sockets ample as the entering person caught you guilty with the cupboard wide open in front of you.

What happened: You stood straight up, wings bursting to full length in a panic. There was no wind, but somehow...

_They caught air. _

It was a powerful burst, and it sent you straight into the bed, you hit it legs first and _rolled _over its top. The gust of wind produced closed the open drawer and left you scrambling to grab ahold of the bed before you had a chance to tumble over the other side. 

Your soul was racing, and you clung to the edge of the bed momentarily forgetting that the ground was only a few feet away. 

The door fully opened, exposing none-the-wiser Dr. Amanda as she came in -_back first_\- pulling a cart. You could barely see her over the ruffled tuffs of the bedsheets. 

You lost your grip on the mattress and squeaked.

_Thump._

"Yin?" Amanda said warily. You dont know what just happened, but you shifted and looked back at your wings in wonderment. 

Could you fly? 

No, seriously. _COULD YOU FLY?_

"Are you okay, honey?" a shadow cast over you caused you to turn your attention to the woman. You looked up at her, still baffled. 

_"Uh-huh." _You got up from your strange position on the floor and tried to stand to attention. She had a bundle of folded clothes over one arm, and a hand to her mouth. She said nothing about the bedsheet over your head.

"You look like you just won the lottery." She said, letting out a little giggle that you found cute. "Here, Put these on for me, okay?" She handed you the clothes and you looked down at them: they were similar to the ones under the bed, but these were colored a light grey, You liked it. 

_"Okay."_ She stepped out a moment telling you to knock when you were done.

Putting them on, you found the clothes had unique holes in them for your appendages, not just slit cloth, but tailored vents. 

All you could think about when you went and knocked on the door for her to come back was...

_Could. You. FLY?_

She entered with a smile that could've caused the hardest man to grin back stupidly. She went over to the bed and paused, just now seeming to take in the state of the room. Without hesitation, she began picking up the folded clothes off the cot and tucking them away in their drawers as she explained.

"Alright, so. We're going to do four things tonight. We did the same thing with your skeleton friends next door." She closed the drawer once all of them were put away, then went about remaking the medical bed that you'd ruffled up during your _special_ moment a few minutes ago.

_Could you fly?_

"First, were going to do a bone scrape biopsy. It will only hurt a little bit and takes just a second. Can you come sit here for me?" 

Your throat tightened, though you had no muscles under your bones for the action to be anything other than paranoia. You heard the question in her words but felt as if you had little choice in the matter anyway. You made your way back to the medical cot and sat where she patted, suddenly too shy to speak. She turned with a long thin tool in one hand and two clear Petri-dishes in the other. 

"Now I've been told that skeletons don't usually have, uh, this kind of pigmentation on their bones. So ill need a sample of both so we can make sure that it's not something that can hurt you. Have you always had the discoloration?" She asked for your arm, and you held it out to her, she used a wet piece of fabric and rubbed it none-too -gently over a small area on your arm. You struggled to speak as she handled you.

_"Its, Its, Its always, Its." _Frustration and anxiety caused your voice to rise. _"Its always been there." _You finished. She hummed and with swift, practiced maneuvers, used one of her metal tools to scrape a bit of bone off from where she was scrubbing. You flinched. _Hard._ You found that there had been no pain. This gave you a small boost of confidence. You held out your blackened hand to her, and she smiled encouragingly at your bravery.

"Good, you did awesome, honey." She sat that tool off to the side and grabbed another; it looked the same as the other one. She sat it on her lap, though, and took hold of your arm in an inspecting manner. 

"If it's always been there, then I'm sure it must be genetic or just a congenital disability. Those are usually harmless. hmm.." She trailed off. Pressing her fingers into the black ink of your left arm. She stopped at your humerus and pressed down a bit harder. Confusion passed over her face. "So that's not bone. I can feel the bone beneath it." She mused, putting her previous bone scraper aside, she pulled out something much more menacing to you. 

Something you, for some reason, recognized immediately. She noticed the way you froze and squeezed your arm reassuringly. "I promise you it won't hurt too much" She laid the needle against the black... not, bone? of your humerus. "Did you know other skeletons with this coloration?" 

You had to think hard on this. You thought back to your mother, the images you had of her. You didn't know if those images were real or if you'd just made them up over time. You may not have remembered much about your mother's features, but you knew she had the purest of white bones you'd ever seen. They were always such a bright white that you'd have a hard time looking at her under sunlight. 

You remembered her hiding in snow poufs in plain sight to jump out and scare you when you least expected it. 

You tried to remember your father.

You tried to remember anyone else you may have known during your few short years at the village. 

You couldn't. 

Before you knew it, Amanda had pulled away with a syringe full of black. _Your_ black. When had she done it? You didn't feel a thing. _"My mom didn't have any. Didn't have any, I dont remember anyone, remember anyone else," _you answered anyway, though deep down, you knew she'd only asked to distract you. 

"We'll figure out what it is when we get this to the lab. The second thing we're going to do is, just like that, what I just did. It might hurt a bit more because we have to get through the bone to get to it, but I also need some of your marrow. She took out another syringe with a much thicker needle. She prepped it and took ahold of your white arm, Amanda stayed slow, making sure that none of her movements would frighten you.

You were strangely... calm. 

Like you'd been through this a million times before. Like you knew it wouldn't hurt as much as you thought it would because it is been _done before._

"So, I heard you met a dog today?" 

Every part of your body lit up with visible happiness at the mention of a dog. 

_"Hanz!"_ You supplied, wiggling in your seat. She hummed for you to continue, as she worked the needle through the softened bone on your arm. _"He was so cute! all white with, with, all white with this face! his face made me, his face made me cry because it was~ IT WAS SO CUTE!" _She pulled back with a syringe full of your red marrow. She rubbed the area down witha cloth again then stuck a bandaid on the tiny hole it left behind. 

"Wow, you're a champ, Yin. And yeah? I have two puppies at home. Do you want to see them? ill show you some pictures on the way to our next procedure." She got up and organized the cart a bit then pushed it off to the side. You eagerly slid off the bed and joined her side. She pulled out her phone and started swiping away at it, as she leads you through the door, out into the hallway. 

You looked briefly down at the series of doors you knew your friends were behind. They would be proud of you, wouldn't they? You were proud of you. 

Leaving that behind, you followed her down the hall to a small room off to the side. It was labeled with a few letters you assumed as abbreviated. As humans and monsters alike passed by the two of you, you pushed in closer to the only woman in the area that you knew. She laughed a little and gave you a shoulder squeeze. Then she handed you her phone. 

You saw two cute tiny dogs curled up in a blanket with each other, looking fast asleep.

Immediately, and unintentionally, yellow tears broke past your sockets, and you started sobbing. 

It wasn't a sad crying. 

You didn't exactly know why you cried whenever you saw dogs. 

"Oh, are you alright?" Amanda asked, reaching for her phone, hoping she hadn't just triggered you. In response, you ripped the phone away from her hand and hugged it to your chest.

_"t-their so CUTE. CUTE little babies~" _You whined, peeking down at the image again only to cringe as a fresh wave of sad-happiness crashed over you. Amanda smiled at you and allowed you to keep ahold of her phone as you entered the room.

It was a dark room. With a big machine set up in the middle of it. Amanda directed you behind a screen of the device and told you to keep your hands above it. 

"This is a soul scanner. It takes video feed of your soul. The goal is to make sure that your soul is healthy as can be, and if it's not, it'll help us figure out what's wrong so we can fix it. I'm going to need you to stay perfectly still for about a minute, okay?" 

_"Okay miss Amanda."_ you replied, with a deep breath, you put your hands over the screen and stared at the picture of the dogs on the phone. You inspected every little detail down to the color of their eyes.

_Click-click... click._

They were tiny, with matching white and brown fur. They were super fluffy, with curled tails and pointed ears. 

_Click-click... click._

One of them had this black spot over the length of its nose, and it made him look like he'd just dunked his snout in a tub of ink. The other one had his paws over his face in the CUTEST WAY. It made HIM look like he'd just smelt something TERRIBLE! 

_Click-click... click. _

"Alright, Yin, we're done. you can step out now." You blinked down at the images, directly forgetting that she'd said anything. She repeated herself calmly; you stepped away from the machine. 

You handed her back her phone, and she flicked it off and shoved it back in her pocket. 

"You did well. Now, all of this will be sent to testing. Right now, you're a top priority, so they should be done taking a look at it by morning. If you're clear, You'll go back with the brothers to wait out the rest of the mandatory quarantine period. If you're not clear, well. We'll talk about that after it's done. Come on. We got one more thing to do. Are you hungry? let's get something to eat first." 

* * *

The two of you went to this high-security cafeteria where you both ate together, alone. While you were there and ate some of the strange tasting food they had to offer- you started thinking. If you had something contagious, something that could infect and hurt others, Why was Amanda willingly touching you? Why was she bringing you out to eat? Even if no one else but security was there, why was she risking herself? 

You thought about this while Amanda tried to small talk to you. The idea of talking and eating at the same time made you feel somewhat gross, so you answered with nods and grunts most of the time. 

You arrived back at your room within half an hour since you'd left it, it was only 9:35. 

You were tired. 

You wanted to sleep. You wondered if you asked Amanda if you could go to bed if she would let you. You decided against it when she pulled up that same chair and sat down in front of you when you seated yourself back on your cot.

"Now, the skeletons haven't done this one. They didn't need to. I'm going to ask you some questions about what you went through at the labs. It might be scary going back there, but it's important for your recovery process. If you want to stop, tell me to stop at any point, and we will. okay?"

"We'll start easy. Do you know how long you were at the labs?"

_"It was a long time." _

"I know we lost a lot of data, but we did manage to figure out that you were admitted in 1791." It was quiet. You took a breath as you processed this. The numbers sounded familiar. When you didn't speak, she continued.

"So, you've been there for around five hundred years, Yin."

five. Hundred. Years.

_FIVE HUNDRED YEARS._

How could you even LIVE that long? Why were you still alive?

_"wow." _You breathed out, shocked. She gave a small chuckle; it was more from disbelief than anything.

"Yeah, honey. _Wow._ You're one hundred percent, an adult. You're a _senior."_

Your wings flinched at that word, and you pulled a face. You'd rather be called a kid than a senior. She wrote down some things on her tablet, most likely documenting that no, you didn't know you were _more_ than _five hundred_ years old. 

"But." she began again. "A few months ago, to a year, we found another skeleton. He's your skeleton friends' father. He came back from a pretty, well — a situation. Much like yours, actually. He told us that he was born in the year 1784. So it's safe to assume that you skeletons have a long lifespan." 

_"Then, where is everyone?" _The words slipped out of your mouth before you knew you had thought them up. If skeletons lived so long, where were they? Why hadn't you seen any more of them? Amanda paused guiltily, she bit her lip, debating. 

"That's a long story that I'm sure one of the brothers is better fit to tell you. now, are you ready for another question?" You tried not to focus on how quickly she batted your question away and nodded that you were ready. "Can you tell me some details of how your stay was?"

At your blank look, she reiterated, "Where you stayed, the conditions you stayed in, things you did daily. how were you treated?" 

Your thoughts stopped working. Your brain went completely blank, and you just stared at her lips as they moved and repeated the question. 

"You dont have to tell me yet, Yin. but know that any information you can give us will help us find who did this to you and why you were there." 

You felt like you did. You felt like you had to tell her, so you opened your mouth, took a breath, and started _spewing_ everything you could remember.

_"My room was smaller than , smaller, this one. It had a blanket. I drew on the walls a lot."_ She nodded for you to continue as she started typing away on her tablet, most likely writing down what you were saying. 

_"I didn't see people. But sometimes I remember seeing them? Seeing them. I slept a lot. Stood a lot. Sometimes I fell asleep without realizing it, but when I wake up, I realize it, and sometimes I fell asleep without. Sometimes I realize it. And I fell asleep, and I fell asleep without. I sleep a lot." _She reached out and patted your arm, no doubt hearing your struggle. 

"do you remember any person in particular? someone you remember more of?" 

You nodded.

"Can you describe him for me?" 

The reply was instant; as you spoke, more images entered your mind of a man you never met yet knew most of your life.

_"He was tall. He was tall with a voice. His bones, his skin, his skin was brown, dark brown, and he always had a white, a white door~ a white mask on. Always with lights." _You stopped.

That was about as far as your memory would bring you. She gave you an encouraging grin and finished writing out the sentence.

"You're doing great, can you do ONE more for me today, Yin?" 

You didn't think you could. Your wings were jittering, and you feared that you might have another episode and end up blowing Amanda into the wall behind her. You didn't want that, so you forced yourself to calm down and nodded again. 

"Were you only in isolation? Do you remember them doing anything else to yo, outside of your room?"

_"We're going to try something new today, A1. Are you aware?"_

_You blinked, you were standing. You were walking down a long hallway towards an unknown destination. You'd never been here before; If you had, you've never actually remembered coming down this way._

_With a hesitant movement, you nodded up at the man. He looked down at you, his hair was choppy and black, and though he had enough muscle on him to probably break someone in half~ his eyes showed nothing but an empty, and desperate kindness that confused you, and gave you the feeling of false safety._

_ "Good, do you know where we're going? Do you want to know why you're here?"_

_Why wouldn't you? You nodded again, eye lights trained on the door at the very far end of the room. He was holding your hand, and you were pressed to his side on your own volition, fearing where you were heading. _

_"We're going put you through a physical test today, A1. To see how strong those bones are. You ready?" _

_The door opened whether or not you were ready for it. The room was empty and vast — nothing but a dark metal floor and long, scarred up walls. _

_"Let's see what kind of magic you have."_

"Yin?"

A warm skinned touch on your arm broke you from your thoughts. You didn't jump, and you weren't afraid. You hand flexed at your side, still dead sure that you could feel his hand still in yours. You flexed your phalanges and stared at them until the feeling went away. 

"Yeah, I think we're done for the night. Are you feeling alright, Yin?" Talking, right, speaking. You had to talk, you weren't there, with... him. You were here. Papyrus, Blueberry, Stretch, and Sans were in the rooms next to you. Amanda was a nice woman with some dogs~ dogs.

You...

You reached out with grabby hands towards the woman, eyes blank, face blank, yet inside, you felt winded and frantic. She stared at you for a moment then seemed to get the hint. She pulled out her phone and turned it back on. She handed it out to you, and you took one long look at their faces, their cute long noses.

You felt better.

_"I'm Okay." _You finally answered she sat there patiently while you collected yourself. You numbly maneuvered yourself to lay down on the bed, refusing to take your eyes off the picture. Her response was to cover you up and tuck you in. She even went as far as to give you a small head pat. 

"You can keep the phone for the night, Alright? I haven't used it, so it's fully charged. Do you want to go to bed?" 

_"Yes." _You replied, pulling the blankets up over your horns, you curled up after placing the phone down on a spot you could quickly and easily look at again. 

"Alright, goodnight, I'll be back in the morning with the results." 

You heard her wheel the cart out of the room, and with the click, beep, and lock of the door, you were alone again. 

The sound of the television calmed you, the sight of two beautiful animals soothed the numbness you were feeling in your mind. 

You fell asleep trying to count how many spots there were on one of the dogs' collars.


	8. What It's Like, Part Three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait everyone! Muses for me are hard to keep, but ill push through it. my updates are normally sporadic anyway, if ya know me'n my stories you understand that.  
Also! I screwed up my A key on my laptop so if im missing any A's that's why! though ill try hard to spot those mistakes before I post.  
This chapter fought me tooth and nail, I hope it came out alright.

* * *

**A certain song inspired me into writing this chapter. Check it out for mood!**

[I'd Love To Rule The World - Jetta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hEh9LiSzow)

* * *

**_PAPYRUS_ **

** _2:45 AM_ **

** _December 7th._ **

* * *

Wide awake in the dimmed darkness of his ward, Papyrus stared up at the ceiling's faint patterns. He'd tossed and turned all night and finally decided to merely lay there and let his thoughts run wild. He was getting no sleep tonight, which was alright because he didn't have to work in the morning.

Papyrus missed his job. He missed his routine, and he missed you.

He'd rescued you two days ago; it felt longer than that, especially with an entire night spent doing next to nothing in this tiny hospital room.

Papyrus shifted onto his side, looking over his brother's form. There had been a curtain separating the two beds, but Sans had immediately pulled it back upon being assigned to the room. Sans was still awake, as Papyrus expected. He was still fully dressed with his hands folded over his jacket's front, staring tiredly at the blank television hanging from the wall.

"Sans?" Paps spoke softly, it only took one word to betray how tired the skeleton really was, and this was coming from someone who'd been awake on missions for days straight. At least then he had the excitement to keep him awake, or workload, here, there was nothing to do other than wait.

He needed rest, but the only way he'd get it would be if he cleared his mind. He had a question rolling around that surfaced right when he was about to fall asleep, it woke him up, and he found himself needy for an answer.

"hmm?" Sans grunted out after a delay, the shorter brother rolled his skull to meet Papyrus's eyelights. 

"Do you think I did the right thing?"

"with what?" 

"Bringing Yin back with me, instead of letting the force take her." Papyrus clarified. Sans was quiet for a few moments, the only sound being the buzzing of electrical equipment throughout the room. 

Finally, Sans sucked in a breath. "i think so." He answered, his white eyelights focused on Papyrus, who laid on the cot, knees curled into his chest, hugging the medical blanket to his body. 

"Even though she put us in quarantine?" Sans gave a soft, exhausted chuckle and smiled at his brother. 

"yeah, for sure." 

Sockets crinkling with Papyrus's appreciative smile, he nuzzled his face into his blanket and felt his bones relax. Papyrus was smart enough to assume that Sans only said what he had to comfort his brother, and take comfort in those words. His mind stilled enough to float him into an uneasy slumber.

A slumber in which lasted all of ten minutes, but no more.

The entrance to their room beeped. 

A couple of soft knocks were on the door; Papyrus tried not to grumble in annoyance at being woken from his almost slumber.

"come in," Sans called out, the handle clicked and admitted an exhausted-looking Amanda. Her previously neat ponytail was askew, little strands of hair poked out in several directions, and there was a barely visible blackness under her eyes. 

Papyrus wondered how long she'd been here before they arrived, and how much longer she would stay. 

"Sorry for coming so late." The doctor said, first and foremost. Papyrus sat up and gave a stretch, Sans still hadn't moved from his position, aside from looking at the women as she entered. 

"s'ok"

"It's quite alright." Amanda gave Papyrus a look, probably wondering why he spoke so softly off duty; she must've chalked it up to fatigue because she did not question it further. 

"I thought about telling you guys in the morning, but I figured you'd want to know as soon as possible." She stood in the open doorway behind her, it was quiet, yet nurses and doctors' voices could still be heard. Not as dead as three in the morning would suggest. She continued before either brother could get a word in.

"Test results came back, there's no contagion in her system. The corruption she has is effecting her and shows no signs of spreading." Papyrus straightened, the lively glow returning to his sockets. "She is, however, far from healthy. Before I move you into the housing unit, I wanted to speak with you both first." She walked further into the room and pulled one of the visitor's chair up between the two beds. 

Papyrus already had both legs hanging over the edge of his berth, leaned closer to the woman. Amanda did not mind this. She easily smiled in the way she did and sat down. 

"Corruption?" Papyrus mused curiously, Amanda's eyes flicked to her notes before she answered him.

"Its what we're calling her bone disorder. The soft, black stuff on her arms? We are still not entirely sure what it is, but we know that its man-made, a chemical formula, and that it is not contagious." 

Papyrus seemed satisfied with that answer, though, his face was slightly twisted in disgust. He tried to imagine his own bones covered in the black silk. "Does it hurt?"

"Yin is not displaying signs of pain from the corrupted parts." Amanda supplied effortlessly. Paps nodded, settling back with a hum. Amanda cleared her throat and gave one of her eyes a brief rub before taking a deep breath and continued her summary.

"It's safe to assume that Yin will be unable to care for herself, for the foreseeable future. There are just too many unknowns to let her go unwatched, including her major peter pan syndrome. She's going to need to be cared for until shes able to understand the world shes now living in and support herself." She paused, letting it sink in, watching their reactions with a calm aura. "We are prepared to house and rehabilitate her here, but there's no denying that she's gotten attached to your family." another pause. "The logical solution would be to allow you two, and your brothers to 'adopt' her, perse. This decision is entirely up to you~"

"YES." The answer was immediate but not unexpected; Amanda raised a brow at Ppryus, then looked to Sans, who gave a shrug as if to say 'it's his choice.'

"Don't you want to consult the others before you come to a decision?"

"NOT REALLY, NO." Was the skeletons answer. "BUT IM SURE THEY'LL SAY YES." He reiterated. Amanda gazed to Sans, seeking his approval, the skeleton in question gave a weak stretch of his limbs and a hearty sigh. 

"sounds like a plan to me." 

"Alright, I'll put together a plan for you." Amanda stood up, the slight cringe on her face from the action did not go unnoticed by the brothers. She hid it well, though, and it was gone as soon as it came. "She's going to need medication, a strict sleep schedule, and frequent return visits, as well as schooling. Pharmaceutical is already well on their way to putting together magic supplements that should give her a boost to tide her over during daytime hours. You'll get all the details in a packet as soon as it is finished. Any questions?"

Either the boys were too tired to think straight, or they honestly had no further questions. Either way, both Papyrus and Sans shook their heads in the negative. At that, Amanda bowed and swept her hands towards the still-open door. "Are you ready to join the others?"

Papyrus scrambled off his cot with an eager grin, without pause, he marched over to his brother, picked him up, and slung him over his shoulder. Sans made a strangled noise at being handled but settled into his brother's armor with grace and acceptance. 

Amanda held back her laugh and took to the hallways.

* * *

** _ YOU. _ **

** _ 4:00 AM _ **

* * *

_ " _ Y _ ou Ready, Y/n?" Your mother grinned down at you, you smiled happily back up at her: You've been waiting for this day for a long time.  _

_ Your mother was wearing a thick deer hide jacket, painted black. She looked good in it, she always did. It was her favorite jacket, and sometimes, when they were home alone, it was the only thing she wore, aside from a pair of underwear.  _

_ You looked out at the horizon, you were standing on the edge of a cliff; you loved this place. below, spanned miles upon miles of ocean, beautiful colors leaked from the sun reflecting off the water's surface. It was so pretty. _

_ You loved coming here. _

** "Buttons?" **

_ "This Is Very Important, Baby. You Gotta Learn Early Otherwise You Never Will. But I'll Go With You, Just In Case." She reached out for your hand, and without hesitation, you locked your fingers with hers. You were beyond excited; your mother and father talked about teaching you to fly since your fourth birthday. Your wings expanded behind you, ready to catch ahold of that sweet-smelling breeze.  _

_ "Do You Remember What I Said? Do You Need A re~" _

_ "Can we gooooo." You whined impatiently, inching closer to the edge, eyes alight with happiness. Your mother giggled, and without further ado, she let herself slip off the edge, tugging you with her. _

** "Buuttooooonnnns." **

_ You screamed in delight, adrenalin rushing through, the wind whipping around your bones. You were in freefall, your mother's hand never letting loose of yours. Like she taught you, you extended your wings and let them jerk into position from the rush. Even though they were just bones, The wings slowed your decent. Beside you, your mother's much larger wings were doing the same.  _

_ The water was below you, but you were no longer falling. _

_ You were cruising, seemingly to gently float towards the rising sun.  _

_ "I'M FLYING!" You cried, your mother's grip loosened on your phalanges when it did, you quickly strengthened yours. _

_ "Let Go Baby. Use Your Magic." She drew her hand away, and in fear, you desperately reached for her, but she pulled herself further away. _

** "Buttons buttons buttons buttons~" **

_ Then, you were flying alone. You didn't even consciously use your magic, it just happened. Your wings beat behind you as you rocketed towards the rushing water below. You had no idea how to control them yet, but you didn't care; as soon as you felt the wind on your face, you were in bliss. _

_ That was until you hit the water and immediately sunk to the bottom.  _

_ It didn't take long for your mother to show up, sinking to the bottom of the ocean with you, she congratulated you with a hug and used her large, beautiful wings to propel you back to the surface. When you reached land, you were a mess of giggling bones, coming down from the high of your lifetime.  _

_ "You Did So Good, Such A Good ~" _

** _ "Kid." _ **

You snapped awake, words leaving your lips before you were fully aware.

" _ IM An AdUlt!" _

** "Hahahaha! triggered much?"  **

It took you several seconds to wake your mind up, but the memories of your dream left you feeling as light as a cloud. You could have had a nightmare, Or just not dreamt at all... but you had, and you were glad you did. You'd nearly forgotten your mother over such a long time. It felt nice to have some fresh memories of her face to dwell on.

There was also one crucial detail.

You  _ COULD  _ fly!

You couldn't wait to try it. 

** "I just wanted to let you know that Amanda is on her way with some really great news. Good morning!" ** Jason sounded thrilled. It was contagious. You sat up fully with a groan you stretched out your body by rolling around on the cot. The static from the intercom was still buzzing through the air; the noise soothed you somehow.

" _ good morning."  _ You replied halfway through a yawn, His words barely registered with you because you were way too focused on the fact that you could fly, and you really, really, really wanted to try it. 

Though, should you? Without your mother there to help you like before, you could get hurt. She was no longer around, for all you knew, Skeletons with wings were extinct, and you'd never thoroughly learn to use them.

A frown tugged at your mouth, and your gaze drew to the window at your left. It was still dark out; the clock beside your bed said 4:10AM.

The 'great news' didn't register with you until the door squeaked open, and Amanda stepped in, a big, bright smile on her face that could have melted the toughest of hearts. 

The static was still in the air, but it was quiet enough to go unnoticed if you didn't focus on the sound. 

Amanda heard it instantly, however. She stood up, tilted her head, then looked up at the intercom.

"Jason..." 

** "..damnit."  ** _ Click. _

"Good morning Yin." This time, the woman began cartless and held nothing but a clipboard in her hand as she wandered fearlessly up to you. She sat on the bed beside you, and you watched her sink into the soft mattress. 

"' _ morning manda."  _ you replied, voice soft. You fumbled with the blanket, lap, waiting for her to speak because you otherwise did not have much else to say. She didn't make you wait long; after a quick look over her paperwork, she met your mismatched eyes and smiled again.

"To the point here, You're not contagious." She paused, waiting for your reaction, which came after two seconds of silence. Your wings jerked upwards, and your sleepy smile turned into a full-blown grin. "But there are some concerns," she added, your smile faltered. "Compared to the brother's marrow~ yours is very thin, it seems that your magic burns through your energy reserves at an alarming rate. The reason as to why you're always so tired. Have you ever felt heavy, Yin? Like the ground was trying to pull you down?"

Hesitantly, you nodded. 

"The disease the labs had you down for, it's true. We were able to find some information on it, but by the looks of it, its a rare condition that affected one in every thousand skeleton-type monsters, back when there were more of you." She paused, presumably to breathe. "There's an imbalance in your soul. It would require further testing and examination to fully understand~" She saw slight panic that upturned your features and added, quite quickly. 

"That you can agree to whenever you're more comfortable~ basically, half the energy, or, magic, that your soul absorbs is leaking out. it's expelling that magic into the air around you. We are not sure how to treat it, other than for the immediate future, implementing longer sleep-periods and frequent breaks." She stopped talking, no doubt, because of the way you sagged at the mention of sleep. She gave you a gentle rub on your back and stood up to her full height.

"The brothers have been informed on your condition, and they are  _ very _ willing to update their lifestyles to fit your needs, Yin. You have good people looking after you, and speaking of them, they're quite excited to see you again. You ready to be transferred?" 

The thought of returning to the brothers banished any sadness you were feeling; you nodded several times and hopped off the cot. Amanda held the door open for you to leave first, but you made sure to run back and grab that yellow blanket before you left. Setting it back over your head, the human woman helped you fix it over your horns. 

She giggled softly at your image, but her smile was immensely approving. 

"You look good in that, Yin." She purred as she led you out of your room. You didn't even think much about your actions when you reached out and took her hand for the third time since coming here.

You didn't care if the action seemed like a childish thing to do. It gave you comfort, and you liked it.

_ "thank, Thank you."  _ You replied with a small smile of your own.

A weight you didn't know you were carrying had been lifted off your shoulders that day, and you couldn't help but think, as the two of you took to the hallway, that now, you could finally  _ live. _

* * *

** SANS **

** 4:30 AM. **

* * *

Sans and the brothers were moved into what the doctors called a 'Housing unit.' They were informed that they would have to spend one more day in this place before they could return home. Of course, Sans was less than thrilled to hear they'd have to spend another night in this place, locked up like some kind of experiment. 

The unit was spacious, with a single lobby and two bedrooms, complete with a television, two couches, and a fully stocked kitchen. 

The Yins disorder report came around three in the morning; Sans hadn't been sleeping when The doctor, Amanda, Arrived to give them the news. He hadn't slept a wink since arriving. At this moment, Sans sat on the couch watching a news station blabber on about things he couldn't find the will to care about. Blueberry and Papyrus were already wide awake, rummaging about the kitchen going on about making a fantastic breakfast to congratulate you on, well, Not being contagious. 

Stretch was, unsurprisingly, passed out on the couch next to Sans, He'd slept most of his time away, explaining how he couldn't get a cigarette in here, and sleeping was the only way to ignore his itch to smoke. 

There was a quiet beep as the unit door clicked open. Neither Papyrus nor Blueberry noticed the doctor walk in, with you glued to her side. Eye contact was promptly made between Sans and you, and though his smile was permanent, it grew a little wider as he took in your appearance.

You had a blanket over your head, and he could not stop himself from thinking how cute it looked on you.

He teleported to your side and gave the blanket on your head a ruffle.

_ "Saan!"  _ You purred out, and with great strength, you launched yourself into his midsection and locked your arms around his neck. Sans stood there, completely stuck for several seconds, before he returned the hug, rubbing a hand down your back softly.

"She's all yours," Amanda said; she held out a clipboard to the skeleton who took it in his spare hand; a quick glanced proved it was an info sheet, along with a detailed summary of your needs. 

"thanks." Sans replied quietly. He took a few steps back, with you still wrapped around him, it was a little hard to move, but he decided it'd deal with it. You looked too happy to push you away.

"I'll be here at six tomorrow to release you. Have a good night, Sans. Tell your brothers I said the same." 

Sans nodded and waited for the woman to leave before he entirely picked you up off the ground and held your smaller size to his body. Something about the way you vibrated with excitement against his bones and nuzzled your face into the fluff of his jacket had his soul swelling dearly. He found he didn't want to let go.

"they treat you right?" Sans asked as he made his way to the couch, still holding you up with his hands under your backside to support you. He sat down with a grunt, and you quickly sprawled yourself out on top of him, sinking into his jacket with a happy purr.

_ "mmhm."  _ Was your answer to his question. You could have said more, but it was not needed. Silence reigned in the unit as he simply held you to him. The only time you moved was to shift your head against his neck. 

When they had told him that you were as old as you were, Sans could not believe it. Even now, looking down at your perfectly smooth features, he couldn't. For the life of him, understand that you were as old as his  _ father.  _ You were so small, so  _ adorable.  _ He lifted a hand and let it pet down the side of your skull, you shifted to lean into the touch, and the purring from your soul grew louder.

Sans smiled; he didn't care how extensive your needs would be; you would be the perfect addition to this family.

Stretch murmured sleepily beside him, his sockets cracked open, and he looked over the two skeletons cuddled on the couch. He let out a hum and reached out, stroking a hand down your side, wondering if you were actually there. Sans watched the underswap brother when he shifted closer to the two of you.

He watched Stretch sleepily take hold of your small hand, your fingers interlocked with the skeletons; it only took a few seconds for the both of you to fall asleep. Sans wondered if he should call the others over, but in the end, he decided against it. Stretches' skull fell against Sans's shoulder and though it made him a bit uncomfortable, he couldn't find the heart to shift away. He wasn't much for cuddle piles, but for now, he could deal with it.

* * *

** YOU. **

** 5:15 AM **

* * *

"BREAKFAST IS READY!" 

The shout from the kitchen had three passed out skeletons jolting awake and scrambling off each other. Yin fell back, off Sans lap, Stretch ended up on the  _ other _ side of the couch, and Sans had accidentally teleported across the room. It was a scrabble of movement that lasted all of half a second, and when it was over, all three of you gazed around the room with tired alertness. No one moved for a solid three seconds until Papyrus made his way from the kitchen area and looked over the scene.

You stared up at Papyrus from your spot on the floor, happy as ever to see him again. You started making that noise, which caught the tall skeletons' attention. His gaze snapped down to your form, and he positively beamed.

"YIN! YOUR BACK!" He leaped over the couch's backside and scooped you up; the smell of him hit you, and you immediately felt safer than you ever had before. You were again reminded that this skeleton alone had been the one to find you. Who knew where you would have ended up if someone else had come to your aid. You were glad Papyrus took you home, and you were forever in his debt. 

He held you easily against him, your arms wrapped around his neck similar to the way they had with Sans. Tiredness bit at you when you no longer had to move.

But at least now you didn't have to wonder why you were so tired.

They're going to help you. You could be normal again.

_ "'M back."  _ You yawn doubt, finishing the sentence with a cat-like mewl. Papyrus ever so gently lowered you to the ground; he held onto your shoulders until you found your footing. Giving a glance at the blanket on your head, he went as far as to reach down and pick up the end, his bone brows rose in a questioning manner. 

"THIS IS CERTAINLY A STYLE." he hummed, seeming not at all disappointed in the look, it was then with Blueberry made himself known getting off the kitchen chair, he wandered over the two of you, You saw happiness in his eyelights

"DO I GET A HUG?" Blue questions, holding out his arms in a way that you couldn't help but purr at. of course, you waddled over to him and let his arms cascade around you and draw you into his warmth. 

You felt so loved.

You felt  _ so _ loved within the past two days than you ever had since you live with your parents. You couldn't remember them as much as you would like to, and just these two days alone, you found, made up for the 500 years you were in captivity.

"YOU LIKE WEARING HOODS?" Blueberry asked you gave him several excited yet happy nods. Yes, yes, you loved wearing hoods, that was the word for it? Hoods? It was a strange sounding word, but it fit it perfectly.

_ "Yes, yes."  _ You said," _ I love them, I love, I love dogs." _ Both Blueberry and Papyrus laughed at those words, you could hear, and that chopped up chuckle from halfway across the room. You guessed they all knew of your love for dogs by now, but you couldn't help say it every time it came into your mind 

You. Loved. Dogs. End of story.

"WE KNOW," Blueberry replied with a smirk, he released you, And you couldn't help the whine at the lack of arms around you. These boys hugged you so much, you loved that as well. 

"WE'RE GONNA GET YOU A DOG, YIN." he added, enthusiasm evident in his speech. Papyrus placed a hand on your back and began leading you towards the kitchen, towards the pleasant smell that you just now noticed was there. "AND THEY'LL BE SPECIAL," Papyrus added.

"JUST AS SPECIAL AS YOU." He reinforced. You looked up into his sockets, seeing the honesty in those dark pits granted a jolt of bliss straight through your soul. 

They sat you down at the table, and as you watched the brothers all take their seats around you, the silly grin on your face only grew wider. It didn't seem to matter that you were technically in a lab, right now, there was no place you'd rather be.

* * *

_'I'd love to change the world,_  
_But I don't know what to do,_  
_So I'll leave it up to you.'_

** _I'd Love To Change The World - Jetta._ **

* * *

_ **This poll will stay up indefinitely and be used to influence new chapters! ** _

**Who do you, Personally, Want to see more P.O.V'S of?**

**strawpoll.com/xh9e1d7f**


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